City of Bonds
by Mad Ink
Summary: We all knew it was coming. THE SEQUEL TO CITY OF CONNECTIONS! Madi is back, killing demons, conversing with cats, and solving her own problems. And then there's the issue of Clary having amnesia, but those are just details, details...
1. The Pretense

**Well, this has been fun, ladies and gents. I hope your break was as fruitful as mine. I got a lot of stuff done, surprisingly, like getting about six or so chapters done on my novel. **

**But… I got kinda tired of writing romance, ya see, and started this little thing.**

**Okay, so… blanket note time?**

**Disclaimer:**** No, sorry, still don't own anything and I'm okay with that. I've got my own badass issues to deal with.**

**Cassandra Clare: **_**That's**_** your disclaimer?**

**Madi: Um… Yeah? Do you have an issue with it? Personally, I think it's pretty good.**

**Cassandra Clare: Well… It's all right, but maybe it should be a little more respectful?**

**Madi: …**

**Cassandra Clare: *looks expectantly***

**Madi: L-M-A-O.**

**Cassandra Clare: *starts looking confused***

**Madi: Yeah… Fuck that.**

**Note: This FanFiction contains swearing sometimes to the nth degree, insults to sexualities, and overly cocky, arrogant groups of young adults.**

**THEMESONGS**

_**Viva la Vida**_** ~ Coldplay**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**1. The Pretense**

The question of who I was never seemed to be quite enough.

No, there are many different facets about me, and I think that's the most irritating part.

I used to be a dancer.

But I quit, because I had more important things to do.

Like carve out at least a four-pack in the last couple of weeks of my summer vacation. Then work on how to use a sword like a badass, using tutorials from YouTube, and then the occasional _Star Wars_ movie.

Running on the treadmill was becoming an interesting experience. I'd barely used the thing, and now I knew it better than my mom.

There was the occasional lesson of silence and deception. Me sneaking out at strange hours in the night to run through the woods as quietly as possible.

Yes, I quit break dancing to become an apprentice.

An apprentice in fighting.

Okay, now I realize you all who are new hands at this are wondering why the hell me, an average junior in high school, would be doing trying to learn how to fight when she should be hanging out with friends and shopping.

This is a very easy answer.

I'm not a normal high school girl.

I'm a Rogue.

Yeah, Rogue… badass name, I suppose, and at the same time incredibly lame.

It's the truth. I'm a Rogue. I don't belong in my world, or the others I've traveled to.

So far, there have only been three.

But that doesn't mean another is coming.

I could feel it the very next day I'd come back from my last escapade. A strange anxiety that clouded my thoughts and made it nearly impossible to do anything else. When I started this insane training, the anxiety lessened, only taking up a small corner of my mind.

For some reason, I had the ability to travel through portals and visit other worlds.

So far, these other worlds have been books that I've read, and had connections to. It was my job, or so I guessed, for me to try and change something for the better, and help lessen the overdramatic problems to the best of my abilities, using my advantages by reading the books and knowing what was going on.

Yeah, I know.

I have to waste my time away from writing my books, to help other authors with theirs.

Story of my life, in this rather unjust world.

I grabbed my backpack, sighing at the early hour, and continued out of my room. I walked down the stairs and out the front door, meeting the not-as-stifling heat of Georgia, and climbing the steep driveway to my dad's truck.

_**.M.I.W.**_

"Madi!"

Yet another familiar voice called me out in the hallway as I made my way towards my first period class, in the mood to waste time.

I turned around, only to get tackled by a familiar strong pair of arms. My newfound instinct turned on to an all new high, but I pushed it as far away from me as I possibly could, and awkwardly hugged my friend back.

I laughed nervously as I detangled myself from his arms. "Um, hey Brad. What's up?"

"Nothing, much," He shrugged, and I frowned slightly. Of all of the friends I had, I had to deal with _him_.

Don't get me wrong, Brad is an all right guy when he doesn't act like a lovesick Romeo and cling to your every word. I just didn't really want to deal with him and his bad attempts at trying to ask me on a date. I don't do pity.

"Hey," he said, peering close, "What happened to your cheek?"

I immediately leaned back from his penetrating gaze, and raised my hand to my cheek. I rolled my eyes at that stupid mark still there.

"Glass." I lied. "This kid I was babysitting threw a ball through the window, and a shard of glass cut me."

In all truth, I got cut by trying this stupid move where I tried to flip my sword like a badass in one of the tutorials. It was weird, with all of the Runes I had on me from being in the Mortal Instrument series, the permanent iratze should've healed me.

"Geez, psycho kid." He laughed, and I shrugged.

"Yeah, tell me about it." I sighed.

_**.M.I.W.**_

The day was a normal first day, and I wanted to stick the first sharp utensil into my eye, just to end this snore fest.

Mmhmm, I know, overdramatic, but oh well.

Teachers talked and were boring as hell, explaining their expectations of us, and I swear I almost fell asleep through all of them. I should've been more polite, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

When I saw my friends again, I began to realize that we now had a barrier between us. It was because of me, and I wished it wasn't the case.

But it was. I'd been doing more exciting things this summer than they had in their entire lives, and I wanted to be spending my time turning my retarded four pack into a six.

A _small_ six… Because ripped girls freaked the hell out of me.

As the final bell rang, I was beyond happy to get out, and back home. My last period class sucked, since I didn't have many people to talk to, and the teacher was as stiff as a board.

Oh well, math was gay no matter what.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**Err… Note that these aren't the real names of my friends. I have no intents upon exploiting them… **

**So there.**

**I was going to add a lot more to the chapter, but decided against it because I really couldn't think of fake names for my friends xD.**


	2. Vacation

**Bit of a forewarning, I've read **_**Clockwork Angel**_**, and I really don't like it. I quit it on about the twentieth page or so, just because of the complete idiocy Cassandra Clare wrote. Then I continued it, and was far from pleased with the ending. **

**But, yay for Church and Magnus, right? I like Will a lot, he's a lot like me (are we surprised?) and a LOT more wounded-sounding than Jace.**

**I do love wounded-hot-ass guys.**

**And then I thought it was SERIOUSLY ironic that Jem and I (in these fanfics) were a bit alike as well. But that's because of his addiction to demon blood, with my new genetically enhanced whatnot.**

**Tops to Will and Jem for their suffering in silence. Maybe one day I'll do an intro to **_**Clockwork Angel**_**. We could be the three amigos! **

… **and I could make fun of Tessa's height. xD**

**I was gonna say something else, but then I forgot…**

**Damn.**

**THEMESONGS**

_**Psycho**_** ~ 50 Cent (ft. Eminem)**

_**Take Over, the Break's Over**_** ~ Fall Out Boy**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**2. Vacation**

**some months later…**

I blinked as I flicked through the last two blank pages of the book.

Before a coherent thought could go through my head, I shoved the book off of my lap, listening to it as it hit the ground, and ran my fingers through my hair.

It was becoming imperative that I get my novel published, but the fact that authors like Cassandra Clare and her seemingly one-hit-wonders who got into the winner's circle just like that was becoming almost too much to bear.

I knew getting _Clockwork Angel_ was going to be a bad idea. I knew it was going to kill me. Just one look at the cover told me that.

The anger was growing at the thought of Cassandra Clare's next book, involving Jace or not, would probably be a disaster. I could feel myself spinning out of control. The littlest things, it seemed, could set me off.

It'd been like this since Maximum Ride, when a psycho gene-doctor put some adrenaline enhancer in my veins, forever there. If I got too keyed up like it seemed like I was about to be, the results wouldn't be pretty.

"Fuck…" I sighed, and jumped up from my bed. I quickly changed into a pair of running shorts and a tank top, snatching up my iPod from my beanbag along with my running shoes.

Maybe working out would be the best option.

I passed my brother, watching some show as I pretty much ran through the living room and to the sanctuary which was the basement.

"I'm working out!" I called, before plunging into the cool abyss.

The basement in my grandmother's house always… unnerved me. It was quiet, had fluorescent lights, and bugs ran rampant at night. Boxes from our move, some still untouched, were packed as high as the ceiling, and it was like a maze to maneuver through.

In the first room of the basement to the left, the treadmill sat hugged close to the other end of the room.

I pretty much jogged to get to it, and flipped the on switch before I could even start seeing red. I was too wound up. I had to get in control.

The only reason I'd read that stupid book was because I wanted to feel some connection back to any literary work. I was getting dimension fever, similar to cabin fever.

Turning up the sound on my earphones to a deafening roar, I started off at a nice, easy jog.

School was fine, normal. Grades were easily put under control, my newfound 'anger' issues were about as volatile as a storm. Sometimes they were as strong as a hurricane, and others they were as light as a sprinkle of rain.

I just needed something that could stop me from this constant anxiety that I could snap at any moment.

I started running.

And this easy workout soon turned into a sword training session.

I flipped it smoothly to the song that'd popped into my speakers. _Psycho_ by 50 Cent. I moved mainly with the lyrics, making the sword spin faster after the beginning chorus.

Then, I moved the sword in a smooth arc –

_Crack!_

I didn't spin around fast enough, only catching a spark of green, and a guy rolling in my direction.

He hit my legs, and I toppled forward, my palms hitting the course carpet hard, my sword flying out of my hand and my earphones popping out of my ears. My legs hit the firm, warm body that had caused this mess.

I pushed the bangs and hair that escaped my ponytail out of my face, and turned around to glare at who exactly this joker was.

I narrowed my eyes as the guy sighed, pushing back his blonde hair out of his closed eyes with a hand that belonged to a black tattooed arm. He wore tight, black clothes with a couple of blades on his waist.

He rubbed the back of his head as he groaned, finally opening his eyes to reveal golden irises.

"Jace Lightwood." I said as I regained composure. "I don't know what you Shadowhunters do, but for mundies, this is called breaking and entering."

Before you fangirls go all psychotic, this _is_ Jace from the _Mortal Instrument_ series by Cassandra Clare. Yes, I know him from my first adventure where I ended up in New York because I'd gone chasing some demon. Only I didn't know it was a demon, until after the fact. Much, _much_, after the fact.

And, yes, that sword that I was staring after is a seraph blade. And, yes, the strangely fading marks on my arms that no one could see except for me and other Shadowhunters (which I wasn't), were Runes. Or Marks.

Whatever.

"Madi?" His eyes widened.

"Oh good, you don't have terminal brain damage." I rolled my eyes as I pushed myself up.

"Well, I'd hope not." He said, looking up at me as he still lay on the ground in the same position. "I don't know what I would do if I looked in the mirror and felt pangs of envy for the bastard who looked _this_ good."

I smirked down at him, and his smile formed and grew.

I reached out, pulling him up. He stood about two heads taller than me, so I guess it wasn't surprising that he totally bowling pinned me.

"Hi!" I beamed as I looked up at him.

Okay, for you fangirls who just _need_ to know, I wasn't going to lie.

Jace Lightwood may be with Clary and I respected that, but it didn't detour the fact that he was just my brand of hotness. Overly confident, a bit of an ass, wounded, and sarcastic. Did that mean I liked him? Hell no. He was more like a kindred spirit than anything else.

"Now _that's_ a better greeting." He approved, and I rolled my eyes. "And hi."

"So, I think it's safe for me to ask three questions." I informed him as I walked over to my sword (which, by the way, was one in a bet against Jace… I thought that deserved an LOL moment). "One, what are you doing here? Two, how did you get here? And three, what's going on back in New York?"

"Everyone in New York is fine. Isabelle is currently dating the bloodsucker –"

"Simon?" I corrected him as I put it in its scabbard and hid it in its hiding place near the screen door.

"The Nerd, the Bloodsucker, same difference." He shot back. "At least we don't deal with him often since represents the other vampires in Alincante. Magnus and Alec are fine. Maryse and Robert are doing something in Idris, so Max is staying with us."

"Does Clary live in the Institute?" I asked as I picked up my iPod from the ground.

"Has been." He said, smiling a genuine small smile. "But she's been staying nights with Jocelyn because they're planning a wedd –"

"Oh my God!" I turned on him then. "Jocelyn and Luke are getting _married_?"

Jace took a wary step back. "Er… yeah."

I rolled my eyes. "What? Am I not entitled to be a girl?"

"No." He replied shortly with a smirk. "Isabelle says you're apparently _my_ friend, so you should have no girlish tendencies at all."

"Isabelle's talking about me?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Only recently." He shrugged. "Anyways, Magnus created a portal to get me here. And what I'm doing here is talking to you."

"Way to pick a moment to be a total smartass." I narrowed my eyes at him, while he merely shrugged. "Why are you here?"

"Clary wanted to invite you to the wedding. And since she was apparently too busy, I'm the messenger."

I coughed, then, poorly disguising my insult that rhymed with something like 'tripped'.

"I'll pretend to ignore that." He stated shortly.

I stared at him for a few moments, pondering.

"Will there be demon hunting?" I asked casually.

He scoffed. "It wouldn't be me if there weren't any."

I nodded scientifically. "I do need a vacation. Just give me an hour to get ready and packed."

Jace nodded. "Okay."

"You're using glamour, right?" I asked as I began to wrap my earphone wires around my iPod.

"Yeah…" He said, sounding distracted. I looked up at him curiously to see his eyes not on mine, but my arm. "Didn't you say your Marks were permanent?"

Yes, I thought one of my three phone conversations I'd had with him I mentioned it. I nodded as I looked at my arms too. They were indeed fading, the once bold, black lines becoming thinner and some turning into thin, white swirling scars.

"I did." I frowned. "Anyways, back to basics. You can come upstairs if you use your glamour, because my brother's home at the moment, and so is my grandma."

Jace looked confused.

I sighed loudly. "Okay, so just imagine you going downstairs _alone_, and then coming up with a random dude."

"Right." He nodded.

Somehow, I don't think he really caught it.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**Oh, I do love an airhead Jace. I just don't think he really understand the mundane way. **

**T.T *sigh* Now I know he shall never be mine.**

_**HardcoreMadi smacks RomanticalMadi with a newspaper.**_

**RomanticalMadi: What?**

**HardcoreMadi: Stop swooning. It ruins our rep.**

**Nothing like an inner war to get you in the mood for a commenting!**


	3. Delayed Flights

**I didn't give you guys the names of any of my family members, nor do I intend to.**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**Sugar, We're Going Down**_** ~ Fall Out Boy**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**3. Delayed Flights**

I slowly crept down the stairs, peeking into my living room.

My hair was still wet from my shower, and I hastily put it in a towel after putting on my T-shirt, a pair of dark blue shorts, and red Vans. I had my backpack already on my back, filled with clothes, my iPod, phone, and the copy of _Clockwork Angel_.

Because I had a feeling I would need it. Don't ask me why, I just… had a hunch.

I was lucky I had gotten a dress for my cousin's graduation. It was in a bag with a hanger in my hand.

My brother had just gone upstairs, while Jace still sat in the large green recliner my grandfather used to sit in before he died.

I quickly jogged into the room, and towards the basement, waving my hand for Jace to follow.

"What's up with your little spy work back there?" He asked as he lazily stood up from the chair, and his easy stride turned into a quick lope when I glared at him.

"And you know," he went on lazily, "You're brother's kind of a nerd. He watches the worst shows –"

A resonating slap echoed in the empty kitchen.

Jace glared down at me in shock, an angry bright red mark on his left cheek.

"Don't you even talk about him," I hissed in a clipped tone, "Unless you want your mother fuckin' ass beaten into the ground. You don't know anything."

I opened the door, and walked down the stairs, hearing his slow, cautious footsteps from behind. Each step down the stairs grew colder either from my anger, or the cold air sinking until we touched the basement carpet.

I flipped on the lights in the first room, then quickly made my way to the second and middle room, where Jace had decided to show up in and knock me off of my feet.

I looked up at Jace, and waited.

He was still staring into where apparently his portal had shone up.

We waited some more.

We waited –

"Don't you have, like, a Rune to make a portal to take us back in?" I asked.

"First of all, I think I need an explanation for that –" He jerked his thumb up to the first floor. "Then we'll talk about Runes."

I sighed loudly and nodded. "My brother has autism. It's a sort of… mental issue. A lot of mundanes have it. Having autism limits you from socializing properly like you and I are doing now. He reads a lot more than I do, and he's really smart."

He nodded, slowly.

"So, yeah." I shrugged. "People call him a nerd but it's not his fault. They shouldn't judge things they don't understand."

Another nod. "I'm sorry."

"It's chill." I shrugged. "Now, back to Runes?"

Jace's expression soon turned from slightly amused to his eyebrows furrowing, and his lips pursing, his golden eyes calculating.

"Oh my God." I shook my head in disbelief. "Please tell me –"

"I don't remember the Rune."

I punched him in the arm with my free hand. He recoiled instantly, shock evident in his features. "Stop hitting me!" He snapped.

"Are you serious?" I demanded. "You're a freaking _Shadowhunter_ for Christ's sake! Isn't knowing Runes kind of – I don't know – part of the job description?"

"Clary just made it!" He defended, and started checking the pockets of his pants. "She gave me a picture, in case…"

He dropped off when he couldn't find it, and narrowed his eyes as he glowered at the ground. "I don't have it." He muttered.

"Well, that much is obvious." I retorted. "Now what?"

"Magnus said he was going to create a portal on Monday if I forgot."

Tomorrow. "What time?" I asked.

"Eight."

"And you can't call him now?" I gestured to his cell phone.

"He's… on vacation." Jace said slowly. "With Alec."

"Oh…" I took a couple of steps back and waved my hands in front of me. "Bad mental image."

After a few minutes of looking around the eclectically cluttered basement, I finally spoke.

"I've got school tomorrow."

_**.M.I.W.**_

**My brother's story is true. No one wants pity, but understanding.**

**Autism is real, and most people who have it suffer in silence. **

**Picking on people is stupid, makes you the weaker person, and if you do it and I know about it, I'd kick your ass.**

**Being friends with everyone makes you a well-rounded person, and have a better viewpoint on life. If you think I'm spouting bull shit, then fuck you and quit reading my stories. I don't want, and don't need, someone like you reading my work.**


	4. City of Schooling

**Omg, you guys best flipping love me for this.**

**School has been obnoxiously hectic, and it's amazing I've even pumped this sucker out.**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**That Green Gentleman**_** ~ Panic! At the Disco**

_**Dance, Dance**_** ~ Fall Out Boy**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**4. City of Schooling**

Um…

Well, what can I say about the situation of having Jace-freaking-Lightwood spending the night in your room?

I can tell you.

Awkward.

The night started out perfectly fine, or as fine is it can be when you're the hostess to a literary character that's invisible to your family.

I tried to slickly pass as much food as I could to Jace, who poorly suppressed a chortle when my heart leapt up to my throat every time someone would ask if I was all right when I would try to tell Jace to shut up, or kick him when he tried to steal my fork.

It is _not_ fun to deal with a bored Shadowhunter when you're trying to do some plot work for your own novel as he's breathing down your neck and asking why the characters just didn't tell each other how they felt.

Being irritated with this, I hit the 'enter' button a few times, and wrote the following:

_Why didn't you tell Clary how you felt at Taki's?_

Jace tried to explain how it was different, how he thought they were related, but soon shut up when I started playing my music.

Then there was the whole sleeping arrangement.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." Jace snorted as I cleared off my purple beanbag.

"Not really." I said as I finally moved my headphones to my overcrowded nightstand. "Besides, the beanbag is amazingly comfortable."

He just looked at me.

I sighed in irritation and ran a hand through my hair. "Look, it's the only place where you can sleep –"

"Why not the bed?" He asked innocently. "Since the beanbag is so 'comfortable' and all?"

I threw one of the many blankets on my bed at him, draping over his head. I snickered as he pulled it off of him, leaving behind static-y hair in his wake.

"Because I'm selfish." I retorted as I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over me. "Get the lights."

_**.M.I.W.**_

"_No I won't… be afraid. Oh IeeIeeah won't, be aaafraid. Just as long… as you stand… stand by me… So darlin', darlin' stand, by me –_"

"Ugh!" I groaned, flipping over to shut the alarm off of my phone.

My room was pitch black as I shoved the blankets off of me, my skin bitten by the surprisingly cold air that was December. I walked forward –

"Oh damn!" I yelped-slash-grunted as I tripped over two long, hard, legs and did a so-graceful faceplant into the carpet.

I heard him swing into action behind me, and scrambled up just as I heard a seraph blade come out of its scabbard.

I flipped on the light on my desk, and turned with my arms spread loosely as Jace's sword pointed towards me.

"Chill…" I rubbed my eyes as I got used to the new light. "Just me."

Jace studied me for a few unfathomable moments, before sighing loudly and glaring up at the ceiling as he flopped back down on the bed.

"Well sorry waking up to me wasn't as enjoyable as waking up to Clary." I muttered.

"Sorry," He returned. "Why are you up so early?"

"School." I replied shortly. "It's where we mundies creep about in the daylight hours."

"Oh… I thought that was just TV."

I smiled slightly at that, rubbing my eyes once more. "Yeah, if only."

_**.M.I.W.**_

I was just going to the car after giving Jace the rundown of the house schedule, and about the open the door until I turned to see my brother walking out of the house.

And Jace.

My jaw dropped.

I shook my head vigorously as he walked out with an easy smile. I glared stonily at him as he climbed over my brother has he put his stuff in the van, and I groaned inwardly as I sat in the front seat. I whipped out my phone, creating a new text message saying:

_GET BACK IN THE HOUSE!_

I held my phone back, and almost whined as my brother shut the back van door, and my mom started the car. Jace leaned over the seat and read the text, with a wide smile on his face as he shook his head.

This was going to be hell.

_**.M.I.W.**_

I wrote in my spiral notebook.

_YOU'RE AN IDIOT!_

I continued to barely listen to my Language Arts teacher's droning as she talking about words I already knew as Jace leaned over my shoulder from the empty desk behind me to read my 'notes'.

"Not really." He shrugged. "So far it's been fun. Seeing you in your mundie environment is rather fascinating."

I tightened the grip on my pen as I looked over the paragraphs in my literature book, answering the questions the teacher hadn't yet gotten around to.

"I only wish that I met you when I was still doing Mundie Studies." He continued blandly. "It would've made my project easier."

I scribbled down the next note:

_Well sorry for not learning about my portal hopping abilities sooner._

"You're very quiet here, in your world. Edgy like a cornered Shax. Tell me, are you going to lash –"

"Madi!"

I stiffened against my start of surprise, and looked to my language arts teacher. "Yes?" I replied so-intelligently.

"What was your conclusion on _The Crucible_?" She replied, sounding peeved.

I looked around the classroom helpfully, and my friend at my left side shrugged.

I swallowed nervously and pushed my bangs from my forehead, and couldn't help but feel like I was in some cliché movie when they landed back into place, but with a vengeance as they fell in my eyes.

"The townspeople of Salem were… gullible. It was easy for the girls to get what they wanted. They wanted attention, and got it when the Christian religion thought it was suitable to believe witches actually be in their midst without any sort of reasonable proof. It shows how dominant religion was and still is."

My lit teacher nodded meditatively, and I leaned back in my chair.

"Well played, Em. Well played…" Jace murmured.

I quickly wrote on the page where most of my questions directed to Jace had been placed.

_Em?_

"Like the first letter of your name." Jace translated.

I bit my lower lip to hide my smile, and quickly wrote my response.

_Well thanks for the nick, J_

"Jay, huh?" He noted. "Not bad."

As the bell rang, we stood up along with all of the other students and began to file out once more.

"It's so crowded here." Jace drawled as we navigated our way through the hallway. "How are you even supposed to get to your next class?"

I shrugged slightly to answer his question and met my friend at the locker we both shared.

"Hey, Madi." She greeted me as I shrugged off my backpack to exchange my books.

"Hey," I smiled as Jace leaned against the wall and watched with interest. "You know what we're doing in fifth?"

"No, I think it's a notebook check." She pondered, and I nodded.

"Cool. See you at lunch." I said as we closed the locker at the same time.

Jace followed me soundlessly as we walked back to the class I'd just left. I quickly scribbled on the notebook that I kept on my binder:

_Same room and teacher, different class._

"Oh…" Jace noted apathetically.

I smiled, and wrote again.

_What you expected?_

"Not in the least." He responded truthfully.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**Sorry if it's exceedingly crappy. I'm tripped up on book cramming schedule and I've got a be-damned project due by Monday. I have to make a Roman road.**

**Okay, before my brain bursts after watching these retarded America's Funniest Video shows, I'm going to hopefully get some sleep. Though, I'm growing more and more guilty that I'm not working on the nov's (novels in Madi-language).**

**OMG JACE CAME TO MY SCHOOL!**

**Clary: Wicked… I can't even get him to come with me to get Simon.**

**Madi: IKR?**

**Jace: Er… I'm right here.**

**Madi: And at the moment an invisible house crasher.**


	5. The Difference of Blades

**WAIT!**

**Okay, so BEFORE you start reading, I've got two issues to state. I'll tell you one now, and then one at the end of the story.**

**I'm sorry, but for me, I have to upload some Adobe crap so I can be able to play my music. **

**This means that I won't be referring to the playlist you guys are looking at, but my master playlist on my iTunes, where there are a few extra songs that I'm still on the rocks about adding to you guys' playlist.**

**Don't worry, this will not be permanent, but I was letting you guys know.**

**Onto the reading!**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**The General Specific**_** ~ Band of Horses (one that's being added)**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**5. The Difference between Split Swords and Double Swords**

"So… you do it like this?" I asked, twirling the two seraph blades in lopsided unison, until the one in my left hand slipped out of my fingers.

"No, you're not supposed to drop it." Jace stated blandly as he sat on the handmade leather chair.

I rolled my eyes, retrieving the other seraph blade from the ground.

"I always thought I liked the double swords –"

"Split swords." He corrected me.

When I gave him a long look, and he began to elaborate. "Double swords are part of a set, but they don't connect. Split swords do."

"Show me." I said, handing him the swords hilt first.

He took the swords and put the two hilts together. With a snap, the two split swords turned to one sword with two separate blades.

My eyes widened. "Now that's cool." I practically wheezed as I took up the swords – or sword, now – in my hand. "Jace, can I –"

"Not a chance. I made them myself."

"Can you _make_ me a set?" I asked hopefully.

"No." He replied shortly. "You are a mundane, which makes you not allowed to have seraph blades –"

"Or runes, or see what goes bump in the night – let alone kill it." I sighed loudly. "Come on, I already know the drill. And, let's face it, if I can do all of these things I'm _not_ supposed to, does that _really_ make me a mundie?"

He didn't say anything, his eyes clouded with thought.

I leaned closer to him, resting my hands on the armrest where his elbow was perched. "Like, _really_, really?" I breathed.

He raised an eyebrow and scooted away. "Okay, okay, maybe not. But the answer is still no."

I stood up and rolled my eyes, flipping my hair back. "You're impossible." I sighed loudly.

"I try." He retorted.

"Yeah," I muttered under my breath, "Just like your obnoxious great-great-I-don't-know grandfather."

I heard all fidgeting behind me stop.

"What?" I heard Jace demand.

I raised my eyebrows and turned around innocently. "What?" I echoed nonchalantly.

"You said –"

"OhmehGod!" I rolled my eyes. "Hold on."

I ran up the stairs of the basement and made a bee line to my room. I opened the cupboard of my dresser and took a knee so I could grab the latest Clare novel _Clockwork Angel_.

When I made it back to the basement, I saw a green shining portal in my basement, in front of the liquor cabinet filled with expired booze. Jace stood in front of it, looking ready to go.

"Magnus made the portal." He stated the obvious.

"Um… hold on." I said as I quickly stuffed the book into my backpack. I hooked the sword around my shorts, wearing the same outfit I had when I was about to go the last time. When I threw the backpack on my shoulders, I grabbed my dress lying across the chair.

When I was set, I smiled up at him. "Ready!"

He gave me a long onceover. Then he rolled his eyes and turned to the door. "Mundane."

My smile was short lived, and I pushed past him. "Poser Shadowhunter cliché." I shot back at him.

His mouth grew slack as I backed into the portal, waving him a peace sign, and left him to follow me.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**READ THIS. (because I don't make you read my AN's often)**

**I know this chap was a shortie.**

**Okay, so, my second issue I'd like to note is that I've been hearing rumblings going on that my husband/archenemy Alex Pettyfer is being considered for playing Jace?**

**Now, this… This simply cannot do.**

**One, because Alex Pettyfer has been my guy ever since the beginning, since I wanted him as my character in my novel. Dx**

**And two… I really wouldn't be able to take watching **_**City of Bones**_**. The pain… it's too much!**

**I suppose it makes sense to authors, but Cassandra Clare and Stephanie Meyer are my two biggest competitors.**

**Okay, give me some R&R people, and make me think I'm not doing this 'just because'. **


	6. Family

**EXCELLENT NEWS!**

**Remember Claire? My partner in crime who tries to be as much of a BAMF as me? **

**Lol, well, yeah, she's got an account too, and is going on her own adventures. So… If you like Doctor Who, check out KrazywithaK17.**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**Do You Realize**_** ~ The Flaming Lips (adding to the list)**

_**Cousins**_** ~ Vampire Weekend (adding to the list)**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**6. Family**

I stumbled through the portal, more gracefully than most of my other escapades I suppose, which consisted of running into brick walls, tripping over roots, and waking up from an unconscious state.

This was… nice.

I wasn't inside of the familiar New York Institute, but a dark house filled with exotic furniture in retro and slightly obnoxious colors. Wicked pad for a drug party. Hookahs, or pot –

…

Okay, maybe that wasn't such an appropriate thought for the viewers under the ages of fourteen.

Disregard that last thought then if you find it offensive.

"_Madi_!"

One second into the New-New York dimension, and I'm already in the process of being glomped by a dark haired tall girl.

In case for those of you who don't know (believe me, there are still a few nonbelievers), to glomp is the process of tackling people in a ferocious hug. It is from the Latin word glomfere which means to tackle…

Yes, in case you were wondering, the sarcasm _had_ started a few sentences ago.

"Whoa!" I yelped as we both staggered back, but returned the hug. "Hey, Isabelle!"

She soon pulled back to make room for Alec. We stood awkwardly for a few seconds, before I reached forward and took his hand, and pulled him to me in a hug.

I pulled back and smiled at Alec's reddening face. "Hi, Alec."

"Hey." He replied, but his welcome was short lived as soon as Magnus entered the room.

"I see our Crusader has returned." He noted just as I heard footsteps behind me.

"Magnus!" I smiled just as he strode over to me.

"Darling," He smirked as he reached forward and kissed both of my cheeks. I returned them awkwardly, not really expecting it.

The whole European-kiss-on-both-cheeks thing was something that always seemed so much like a sign of true friendship with people. Well, to me anyways. It was awesome to actually do it.

Not like that, pervs.

"How are you?" Magnus went on as I masked my total awe of the situation.

"Yeah, what's Paris like?" Isabelle demanded. "It must be gorgeous this time of year."

Paris?

Oh right, I told Jace to feed them so lie like that. Coolio.

"It is," I agreed enthusiastically, reminding myself to later Google pictures of Paris. "I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye though, to make you all worried. It really was a last minute deal, since they lost so many people."

"That's so amazing!" Isabelle gushed.

"No one to welcome my return?" Jace asked.

"Oh yeah," Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Way to forget the Mark, by the way."

"There were just some things that couldn't be avoided." He shrugged.

"Like taking the wrong gear?" She accused, and I smiled.

"Hey, I was being rushed." He defended, and I shied out of the way of he and Isabelle's spat to stand next to Alec and Magnus.

"Having three _hours_ is being _rushed_?" She demanded incredulously.

Jace seemed to weigh it over, then shrugged. "Possibly."

Isabelle rolled her eyes and flipped her hair over her shoulder as she turned to storm out in her huge pointy boots. She waved her hand dismissively towards him as she walked away. "I don't know how you can stand the thought of being related to him."

"With the regular older cousin envy, I assure you." Jace said sarcastically as he cast me a wink.

Wait – huh?

"Uh… sure, Jace." I rolled my eyes, going with it. "Where's Clary? And Simon?"

Isabelle's eyes turned dark at that. She folded her arms across her chest as she stood near the empty doorway and looked out the window near the front door.

"Clary is with Jocelyn, making final wedding preparations." She stated matter-of-factly. "But she says hello. Simon, on the other hand, has no reason to be talked about."

I raised an eyebrow, feeling Jace's presence behind me. Isabelle's eyes widened in surprise, but the regained her composure and nodded slowly.

"Now I see the resemblance." She mused.

"Resemblance…?" I turned around to look at Jace, who also had his eyebrow cocked in confusion.

"The eyebrow thing." She replied. "I had my doubts, but now it's kind of obvious."

"Oh yeah, just wait until the sarcasm kicks in." I informed her, and she smirked. "Then you get to see Jace turn green with envy."

_**.M.I.W.**_

"So…" Jace started out.

Night was coming into full swing, and like my first time here, it was like New York had turned into this whole new city. More gritty, more… alive.

I looked up at him. "Yeah?"

"You knew about the Herondale name…?" He asked.

Isabelle and Alec were ahead, talking to each other as if to give us some time to talk things through. As if we were actually related.

"Yeah." I agreed. "I knew you wouldn't know about it until the end of your last little adventure so I decided to use it. It was easier."

"Makes sense." He shrugged, and I couldn't help but smile at his slightly guarded expression. He was trying to hide something.

"You know, Jace." I said slowly, waiting for him to look at me. "I don't really like any of my cousins. They're all either annoying, or bitches. Only one of them is cool. I think I should have two, just to balance everything out, you know? And since everyone here is kind of under the assumption that we're related, and you don't have any other family, and we're kind of alike, maybe…"

Jace looked lost.

"Well," I sighed awkwardly, clasping my hands in front of me and cracking my knuckles. "I think I'd like to be your cousin. In bond, and… uh… stuff like that."

He seemed to think about it for a moment. "Well, you seem to know more things about me than even Alec does. I guess it's plausible."

"Even probable." I noted.

After a few minutes, and me partly deciding that Jace didn't want to have any more of this conversation, I focused on the scenery.

Then he piped up. "I think I'd like to be cousins with you too."


	7. This Magic Moment

**BLLLLLAAAAAWWWWHHHH!**

**So, today on February 9****th****, (which is when I'm starting this chapter) I have a wretched cold. As you can see, that gives me time.**

**I should be spending this time working on the novel, but I shan't, because it got me all rejected, and now I'm considering rewriting the entire (*cough teen warning *cough*) mothafucka in an omniscient POV. **

**In case for those who don't know, omniscient is the POV The Mortal Instruments series is written in. **

**I'm beginning to realize how difficult a first POV is, and how it really doesn't help much when trying to put together a mental image.**

**But these FF series(es) will continue to be in first person, unless there are demands for me to change it.**

**By the by, where are my comments? I realize that you all are terribly jealous Jace and I are now related, but **_**c'est la vie**_**. (if you don't know what my ultimate catchphrase for everything is, look it up)**

**And let's pick it up in the story, a'ight?**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**The Sharpest Lives **_**~ My Chemical Romance**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**7. This Magic Moment**

"Nephilim!"

Both Jace and I paused on the sidewalk just at the steps of the Institute to see a fairy race up to us.

How did I know? Inhumanly beautiful, you kind of just know 'em when you see 'em.

"What? Can't find your mirror?" Jace drawled. "Sorry, we don't deal with those issues."

"Another Nephilim was attacked by demons!" The fairy continued breathlessly. "The one he Angel Boy kissed at the Court!"

My heart stopped.

"You must hurry!" She cried.

_**.M.I.W.**_

I tore down the street, my feet pounding on the wet New York sidewalk as a sheet of rain descends from the cloudy, smog ridden sky.

Oh well, at least it was cooling the Marks burnt into my skin, making me smell like a tattoo parlor than anything else.

I held the hilt of Jeremeil tightly so it would just stop banging my thigh.

My breathing was ragged, but just like the good doctor from Maximum Ride had said, I was running faster and further than I could've on my own. I could and would thank him for that.

But he wouldn't know about it.

I could hear the snarling ahead, and slid to a stop just before rounding a corner. Letting out a deep, quiet breath, I slowly unsheathed my sword and whispered its name. It sprung to life under my fingers, and I spun around the corner ready to face anything.

A mass of salamander-like demons horded in an alley, five or six at best, and all the length of a minivan. They slithered around a limp form with fire red hair, small compared to the rest of the beasts.

My heart started racing double time. It was like I could feel the natural adrenaline mixing with the new chemicals.

Another slow breath, and the sickening feeling died down only a little. _Calm down, Em, calm down._

"Hey!" I yelled after I regained full control of the situation. Or as much control as one can get before throwing themselves into an alley filled with demons.

Their heads, with no eyes, perked up at the sight (or scent?) of fresh meat.

Well, I suppose there's no time like the present.

Giving my sword a small swing, I stepped into a sprint towards the pack.

They scattered simultaneously, giving me an opening to the girl. I dropped to my knees and skidded across the wet ground and swung my leg over the girl's waist as I readied myself for the one demon that just didn't take the hint.

I pulled my sword into a smooth arc for the creature's tongue, just barely grazing the girl's bloody arm, and sliced it off.

The thing roared in agony and reared back in surprise as lighting lit the sky for a moment. It was all I needed when my eyes found a dagger at the girl's waist.

I snatched it up quickly, and chucked it at the still rearing demon and watched as the metal dug into the creature's skin. It gave one more shrill cry, and folded in on itself to go back to its dimension, a puddle of black blood in its place.

Things kicked to double time as another came behind me. I had little time to react, and decided to let my bare left fist connect with slick, gray skin. I wielded the sword in my right hand, lodging it into the demon's skin as black blood spurted out and across my chest.

I glared as the blood burnt through my T-shirt, and gritted my teeth as it hit my skin. My gaze snapped up to the writhing demon, and shook my head. "Not. Cool." I hissed.

I didn't get the chance to back my words to show how pissed off at the thing I was as natural adrenaline started leaking through.

"Chill out!" I snapped at myself, and forced myself back to the girl's body as another demon got too close. I swiped blindly at its huge mouth, easily clipping it.

"Yeah, bitch." I breathed as it shuffled back, and smiled at my control once again returning.

"Madi!" I looked over to see Jace standing at the entrance of the alley, and only a few seconds later flanked by Isabelle and Alec.

I didn't have a chance to respond as a demon barreled me over, knocking my sword out of my hands.

I bared my teeth at its ugly wormlike face, warm rancid breath washing over my face. I sighed as my heart started racing, and forced it down by taking deep breaths and pretty much gagging every time I tried.

Its claws were about to sink into my shoulders, until I regained my composure and kicked it in the stomach, followed by a double punch to its lower mouth. Its mouth clamped shut with a squeal of pain and black blood oozing from the corners of is gaping mouth.

Damn. I'd punched the thing's teeth into its mouth!

I watched as it pulled away, and did a kid up (break dancing move), which failed and made me land back on my ass. I huffed in irritation, only blowing a long piece of my soaked hair back into my face. I never could quite get it even when I was trying to be a break dancer.

Jace had already taken on the demon, Isabelle and Alec handling two of their own.

I rolled over on my stomach to snatch up my sword, and ran back to the girl's limp body once more.

Another bolt of lightning lit the way for a demon.

It lumbered over, and I bent at the knee as I swung my sword over my head to get momentum, and give a grand whack at the creature's leg, effectively slicing off its foot.

Another shriek in my face now had my ears ringing to a point where I couldn't hear a thing around me for a few solid seconds.

_Shut up._ I wanted to hear myself voice, and drove my sword forward.

Things started becoming audible as the demon clamped down on my blade, and pulled back sharply.

"What the hell?" I cried as I lurched forward.

I tried to pull my sword back, but the damn beast wouldn't let go, and pulled me back around it another solid ten feet. I stopped short, holding onto my sword's hilt with both hands, and breathing heavily.

I narrowed my eyes at the creature, watching its tail out of my peripherals swing over the redheaded girl's body.

"If it's a game you want…" I whispered, and drove the blade down the creature's throat.

I watched as it started choking up blood, spattering my clothes and my neck, its tail swinging wildly and about to hit the girl. My heart started beating faster, and I felt my body churning.

The serum.

I let go of my sword and dove for her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders and pulling her as far away from the dying demon as I could.

I collapsed to my knees as the last demon died, gently laying the girl down on the sidewalk.

My whole body was shaking, my heart racing faster and faster until I couldn't contain it. I couldn't take a deep enough breath to swallow it down, couldn't clutch at my skin hard enough to feel anything, but see the blood.

"Dammit." I muttered, and looked over at the girl, taking in her whole 'girl-next-door' cute prettiness. The kind of beauty I wished I had.

Clary Fray.

I heard swords clang to the ground, and saw Jace sink to his knees beside Clary's body.

He didn't say a word, only looked at her. His golden eyes were unreadable as he studied her. Then, slowly, he reached out and gently caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers.

My eyes widened as Clary's fluttered open. "Jace…" She whispered.

"Clary," He took her hand in his, "Please don't leave me. Clary, Clary, _Clary_!"

His eyes widened in horror as her hand slipped limply out of his. My chest started aching as I watched Jace start shaking in so much more pain than I was probably in.

"Clary!" He yelled again, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her into him. "Clary, _please_!"

Another starburst of pain hit my chest, making it harder and harder to breathe. It would be any moment until the serum took full effect. I shut my eyes tightly, just waiting for it to be over.

And it was.

That instantaneous relief washed through me, and I opened my eyes to see everything clearer.

Super Madi had been born once again.

I looked at Jace, who was holding onto Clary's body and rocking her, whispering things I couldn't make out. They were whispers, barely there, and couldn't even be heard by a super powered Shadowhunter.

Only by me. Madi, the genetically enhanced girl.

"I can save her." I said, and his eyes snapped up to me. They were so anguished, I grimaced at the pain it brought me. "Tell Magnus to be at the Institute as soon as possible. Five minutes or less to be there and be ready. I'll be there by then."

Jace still stared at me, his gaze hollow.

I kneeled down and rested my hand on his shoulder. "I promise."

Slowly, he gave her to me.

Clary was probably about my weight, since we were both the same height, but I could barely feel her. A symptom of the serum. Super adrenaline that made me feel temporarily invincible.

"Please." Jace murmured, still sitting on the wet ground.

A bolt of lightning crossed the sky, making the pain in his eyes truly visible.

I ran.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**MWAHAHAHAHA YOU'VE BEEN CLIFFORIZED!**

**So, to figure out if I get to the Institute, and how I think I can magically save Clary, get 'cho asses a-commentin'!**


	8. Here I Am

**I just have a feeling this story is going to be longer than my others. How do I know? Because I've got breathing down my neck and giving me ideas since she's been working on her story.**

**No, for those of you who have asked (yes, there are some), she hasn't posted yet, but I'll tell you when she does. **

**By the by, the playlist is working. Check out the songs!**

_**IMPORTANT NOTE:**__** I kind of glanced over a bit of the work because of some recent comments (by the way, thank you) and I realize I should apologize. I say that I'm so fantastical at what I do, but supplying you all with crappy writing really isn't showcasing that. So, I'm sorry. The chapters will be longer, and better written. Thank you for bearing with me.**_

**THEMESONGS:**

_**Rabbit Heart**_** ~ Florence and the Machine**

_**Waitin' for a Superman**_** ~ The Flaming Lips**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**8. Here I Am**

I like being out in the rain, but I hate the repercussions of it.

_Like_, the soaked through clothes that are extremely uncomfortable.

But, I can ignore that and continue with the story.

Because I guess (even though I was running through about five miles straight in the rain) it's not that important.

So, just disregard what you just read.

But now you _can't_ because you have a mental image of _you_ running through New York, at night, in the rain, with a fictional character in your arms that slowly starts getting heavier and heavier and heavier.

I mean, wouldn't being soaked and uncomfortable be kind of – I don't know – dominant on your mind?

This is what gamer nerds/geeks/what-have-yous call a 'pwn'.

I could feel the serum start draining from my veins. It drained me. Hard. My lungs were burning, my heart pounding overtimes as I wheezed. The air coming out of me was thick and scratchy.

At least the Institute was closer. As I rounded another corner, I could see it.

"Jace… Jace…" Clary's whispers were the only real indication that she was alive. At first I was relieved, but when she asked for him every now and then, it grew irritating.

Yes, I get moody when I'm tired, and a harlequin romance doesn't really help it.

My legs felt so heavy when I jumped up the steps, Clary's dead weight now making me fall to my knees.

I stared up at the large, imposing doors. My body started to ache, just like the first time, when the pain of the adrenaline kicking in finally started its aftershock. Like the blindness ended.

"Open…" I rasped, my throat feeling raw. "Door, open."

It didn't budge.

Anger coursed through me.

"Jace…"

"Razeil…" I hissed. God, my throat hurt. It hurt too much to talk. "In the name of Razeil, open this fucking door –"

One door swung open with the upmost dramaticalness. (oh yeah, I just did that)

I sucked in a sharp breath, which made me sound like a lifeless accordion, as I tried to crawl through the door, dragging Clary behind me.

"Magnus!" I hissed, hoping beyond hope that maybe because he had catlike eyes he'd have catlike hearing…?

What a fail, but what a hope.

I took in two more deep breaths.

"MAGNUS!"

The end of the warlock's name ended in a whisper, and I cursed at my now shot voice.

"MAGNUS!"

That was a squeak.

Why was my voice shot? It didn't happen the first time.

I continued to drag Clary behind me. My muscles were burning every time I moved, each little movement, even a breath, was like adding fuel to the fire.

Then, randomly, I heard an elevator door ping.

I looked up, seeing that the doors had opened, and I almost wanted to collapse in relief.

Except… standing at the door wasn't who I expected.

In fact, it wasn't even human.

Nope. It was Church.

That large gray cat was sitting passively in the elevator, and he stood up languidly and started towards me.

"Church!" I hissed.

He didn't really reply, still taking his leisurely time as he looked over the probably bemusing scene with the calmest expression in his features.

"Church…" I whispered as his yellow gaze looked on. "I need… I need…"

The elevator _pinged_ again, and I looked up to see Magnus trotting out just as lackadaisically as Church.

"Take her…" I wheezed. "Hurry."

"Now, now," Magnus sighed boredly as he squatted down to look over Clary's body. "There's no need to be dramatic."

Dramatic?

I was in the upmost amount of pain, my lungs were shriveling up to the size of prunes, I could feel the last of my natural adrenaline fizzle out, meaning the serum would try and take over full force and try another adrenaline attack, which would cause me to start upchucking blood, and I was being…

Dramatic?

Magnus snapped his fingers, and I suddenly found myself standing – and then quickly falling – in the Institute's… sick room?

I slumped against one of the cots, feeling lightheaded, and watching Magnus already looking over Clary's body.

I was being dramatic?

"Oh my God," I breathed as my veins suddenly (and quite dramatically… ha ha) cool with the introduction of super-serum. "This is so _trippy_!"

"You sound like you've been poisoned." Magnus noted dryly. "Perhaps you should lie down."

"I wish." I muttered, feeling my head clear. That happened last time too. Just five minutes of peace, and then total world ending began. "Don't let anyone look for me."

"Do I look like your… er… messenger cat?" The warlock asked, appalled, as I made my way towards the library entrance.

Speak of the messenger cat, Church _meowed_ quite loudly from the doorway.

I pressed my hand to my forehead, that was actually damp from sweat. "This is just too weird." I muttered, and went to the nearest bathroom.

_**.M.I.W.**_

An hour later, my mouth still tasted like a blood bag had popped inside of it. After all of the brushing, mouth rinsing – I wasn't even above using soap to wash it out (and believe me, it tasted better) – and I felt sick to my stomach.

After having showered and gotten over my 'illness', I was sitting Indian style in the greenhouse, looking out of the glass walls and onto New York's metropolis.

It was surprisingly peaceful.

I picked up the box of _Tic-Tacs_ that I found in Isabelle's purse (don't ask me what feats I'd gone through to sneak into her room undetected), and popped another five into my mouth.

The stinging peppermint just mingled with the taste of blood, but after that it seemed to temporarily mask it.

I guess the moment truly struck a chord when I realized that this whole 'serum-adrenaline-pumping-'gift'-that-comes-with-results-of-puking-up-blood-later' thing was a bit more of a big deal than I'd thought.

I mean, yeah, I knew this was really bad. Like, really, _really_ bad. But… I just never really took a moment to step back and really see what I was getting – or had _gotten_ into.

I thought that it was just life, and this was what it was, and how it was going to be, and there was no way to solve it, so I just had to suck it up and move on.

The thing was I never stopped, until moments like this – with me in a fictional novel looking over New York city in a building that was invisible to people like me – and really processed. It was just about moving on, and not taking the time to look back or care.

But now… now it just made me realize how blessed and cursed I was.

I didn't like it.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**Um… yeah. Sorry about the lateness. I've been doing a lot of stuff lately, and school is rather hectic.**

**As an amusing note, my language arts teacher now hates me! :D**

**That's always something to look forward to every Monday.**

**R&R?**

**Yessss, you should.**


	9. Clicks

**Thanks for the comments everyone! You guys are truly epic.**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**I Dare You**_** ~ Shinedown**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**9. Clicks**

I had woken up at seven o'clock the next morning, stared up at the ceiling for probably five minutes, and then finally got up.

It was just like a regular routine day. I got up, went to the bathroom to wash my face, and changed into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, glad I decided to bring my workout clothes.

Now I was staring into a mug of coffee, frowning. I really didn't want to drink it, but I'd gone through all the trouble of making it…

But I needed energy. My whole body was shaky and not really functioning well. Coffee, I soon learned, was a good way to kick start this next-day-adrenaline-less slump. After the weird times where the serum seemed to have just slipped up and started working in my bloodstream, I coughed up blood, yeah, had nose bleeds, and ended up shaky.

Today was worse, but for now, tolerable.

I poured milk into the coffee, and stared into its now light brown muddy state.

I took an experimental sip.

My tongue was now coated in bitterness.

Why was Shadowhunter coffee so bitter? Maybe it was because they were so badass and everything that they didn't mind it bitter.

Well, I, Madi, was human, and normal. So I was going to drink my bitter coffee with lots of sugar.

"Yuck," I whined, and pretty much made a beeline for the sugar packets I guessed Maryse used for tea. I then decided to rip off the tops of six (count 'em, six) sugar packets, and poured them into the coffee.

At least it tasted better.

_**.M.I.W.**_

It's now seven thirty, and I smiled as I put in my ear buds, and cranked my iPod to full volume.

My ears vibrated with the bass, and I smiled at Snoop Dogg's _Kush_ bass drumming melodically.

It was a nice day, I finished that disgusting coffee, and now I was in the mood to… dance.

I popped smoothly to each lyric I heard, made my moves to inhale and exhale dramatically with the words, and moved into a smooth Indian top rock when Snoop Dogg's chill voice crept into my core.

I was about to drop into a six step, but stopped myself, and frowned. After my time not breaking, I was nervous of the drop. I mean, yes, the first couple of times I hurt myself pretty bad, almost dislocating my shoulder, and that really sucked, but I got better.

But I was still nervous, because I lost that edge and gained it in fighting.

Suddenly, I felt a warm grasp on my shoulder, and I gasped. I quickly dropped, and spun with my leg to clip whoever's shins were trying to take me on.

Bright blue eyes glared into mine vehemently, and I leaned back from my crouch to land on my backside. I quickly jerked out an ear bud, and put my iPod on pause.

"Jesus, Alec, have a death wish?" I demanded sharply.

Alec's eyebrows furrowed in hurt, and I instantly felt guilty.

"I'm sorry." I murmured. "Yesterday just really… er, hit me."

"Yeah, Magnus said something about that." He grunted as he pulled himself up to sitting across from me. "What happened? Did you get poisoned?"

I laughed. "Nothing too serious." I smiled, but mentally grimaced at the lie. "I just got a little poisoned on this cut on my arm. I'm fine now."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, both of us staring around the training room.

"I'm more worried about Jace." I said, Alec and I meeting eyes. "Is he all right?"

Alec shrugged. "All right as he can be, I guess. He pretty much tried to be on your heels the entire way. How can you both run so fast?"

I shrugged. "Must be the genes, I guess."

Or the gene _enhancers_, on my part… and I guess his too, considering what Valentine did to him.

Yet another thing we had in common.

"He's looking for you." He told me, and I nodded.

I slowly stood up, and as I did so, noticed Alec regarding my iPod carefully. I smiled and took out my other ear bud and handed it to him. "You spin the click wheel to scroll, and click the center button to pick something. Go nuts."

He looked bewildered as I set it in his lap, and tentatively picked it up as he inspected it. I left him to his own devices, and walked out of the room. I paused by the door and turned back. "Um, where did you say he was?"

He already had the ear buds in and was further going through my list of songs.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Alec?"

No response.

"Alec!" I waved.

Zip.

"_ALEC_!" I cried.

He jumped in response, and pulled an ear bud out. "What?" He asked, sounding generally curious and slightly put off.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Where's Jace?"

"Oh," his eyes flickered to the iPod, "He's in the library."

"Thank you." I beamed and made my way down the hallway towards my room.

Once inside, I quickly grabbed the copy of Clockwork Angel resting on the nightstand next to my bed, and then walked out once again.

It was a few steps later that I realized that I hadn't the faintest idea of where the library was, and I had paused in my journey to find Church in some abandoned hallway. I'd tried to call the mystical cat (hell yes this cat's mystical) over, but he ignored me.

I rolled my eyes and walked past him, but smiled to myself as he joined my side and we started silently down the hallway.

It was kinda our thing.

"I'm trying to find the library." I told the cat. "Mind giving me a hand? Or… paw?"

Church regarded me with disdain, as cats usually do. Then, he shrugged (at least it really, really, _really_ looked like a shrug) and started trotting down the hallway.

Church paused at large French doors a few minutes later, and I smiled at him. I bent down to pet him, but just as I was about to touch the soft, grayish blue fur on his head, Church ducked under my hand and continued to stalk away.

Like a boss.

…

I'm sorry, I just had to add that. Because, in all honesty, Church does everything like a boss. He makes me look unbadass, if there is even such a term.

I laughed quietly and rolled my eyes, then opened the two doors to the library.

Yes, it was huge. The ceilings were high risen and the room was filled with rich reds, browns, and golds. It was like an old school library in Oxford or something else just as intellectually intriguing.

I found Jace hunched over a bunch of books, his curly hair sticking up in a bajillion places, and a frown on his face.

"Dearest cousin, good morning. I heard you call for me?" I joked an English accent as I lounged on the chair across from him, propping my feet up on the table.

He didn't respond, unenergetically flicking a page of a massive book over and continuing to read the next side.

"You and Alec." I sighed. "Both of you have the best selective hearing in this known universe. I must say you even rival my dog."

"I'm sorry." Jace answered after a few moments more silence.

"You're fine." I shrugged him off. "How's Clary?"

"Fine. At least that's what Magnus says. She's still apparently unconscious, and he won't let me see her."

I frowned, seeing his shoulders slowly sag, and his head move closer to the pages of the book.

"So… what are you doing?" I asked as I gently attempted to pull the book closer to me, and get his mind off of things.

As I looked at the pages, I realized a lot of it contained the word 'Herondale'.

"Trying to connect back to my roots, I guess." He said quietly. "Trying to learn about my family. But these are just words on a page. It doesn't make me feel closer to them. I know you can't help –"

_Slam! Thud!_

I rested my arms on the table and put my head on them, smiling up at Jace as I watched his amber eyes widen.

On top of the huge book I slammed in his face, I'd set _Clockwork Angel_ in its place.

"What is this?" Jace asked as he picked up the book, inspecting the book's covers.

"Well, your past." I stated. "This is a set the mood prelude to you."

His eyes narrowed, and he handed it back to me. "I don't want to hear about them that way. It makes me… uncomfortable that this…" He read the author's name on the cover. "Clare person has me on her thread."

I frowned as I took the book back, and opened it to the first page.

"_The demon exploded in a shower of ichor and guts._" I said dramatically, glancing up at Jace to see his golden eyes on me.

"Jace!" I said ecstatically. "This is _your_ kind of book! I can see it!"

He rolled his eyes and went back to reading. I rolled my eyes and did the same, except aloud, just to piss him off.

"_William Herondale jerked back the dagger he was holding, but it was too late. The vicious acid of the demon's blood had already begun to eat away at the shining blade. He swore and tossed the weapon aside; it landed in a filty puddle and commenced soldering like a doused match. _Blah… blah… blah…"

I flipped a page. And then another. And another. And in the process of flipping another page –

"What are you doing?" Jace exclaimed. "What happened?"

I raised my eyebrows and looked up at him. His eyes were wide and excited, and I looked down at the end of Will's prologue.

"_With the demon being successfully killed, Will looked around for his parabati, Jem, so the two could go off and gamble, and find scantly clad women with loose morals._"

"Now I _know_ it doesn't say that." Jace glowered at me from across the table.

I waved the book like a stake in front of a dog. It had the same effect. "Won't know for positive until you read it."

He frowned, then held out his large hand with a resolute sigh. I giggled and handed over the book.

"You'd like it. Just skip the parts with Tessa. I do."

"Why?" He questioned as he looked through the book.

I shrugged as I stood up. "Because she's boring. Clary's point of view is too, sometimes. In all honesty, I'm more of a Will, Jem, and Jace fan."

"Why is he first?" He demanded, almost in an accusing tone.

I paused at the door, frowning slightly. "Well, you both are a tie. But Will… I don't know. Something inside of me just clicks when I read him."

"Where are you going?" Jace asked as I was just about to step out officially.

I shrugged. "To change. Then wrestle my iPod back from Alec, and then go on a walk."

_**.M.I.W.**_

**Omi di, I so bet all of you guys didn't think I was going to throw in that kicker.**

**The next book that I will star in is not – sorry to say – **_**Clockwork Angel**_**. At least not yet.**

**Of course, at the end of every story – as I always do – I will definitely give you the name of the next book.**

**I've also gotten completely enthralled with Jay Gatsby. We're meant to be. It's a fact of life. Google him if you don't know who this amazing, gloriful guy is. *attempt swoon***


	10. A Proposition

_**Book Ninja 15**_

**You just got shout-outed by the Maddest of Inks! Thank you for your comments. They make me smile. **

***hears banging on a box***

**Oh yeah, and Madi thanks you too. Or she wants to get out of that box.**

**Want a shout out? Post a comment.**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**Talkin' to Myself **_**~ Eminem**

_**This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race**_** ~ Fall Out Boy**

_**I Don't Care**_** ~ Fall Out Boy**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**10. A Proposition**

All right, so my supposed walk was a might bit delayed.

Because Alec had disappeared (along with my iPod), and Church and I had ran throughout the entire Institute trying to find him, only to realize that he and Magnus had… vanished.

Yeah. _Vanished_. Add a couple of jazz hands and you'll catch my flow.

Like. Literally.

And then, probably five minutes later, I realized something.

Now, I don't really know if any of you guys recognized this too, but I came into this dimension with a seraph blade. Long, thin, kind of silvery with angelic runes on the side, glows by the name of Jeremeil?

Yes, you remember him. He'd been with me in the past three or so adventures.

He's gone.

This is what I've recently come to call an 'OSM'.

I bet you ten bucks you're wondering what that means.

Oh. Shit. Moment.

Seriously. I came up with it, like, five minutes after the fact I realized my beast of a sword had left my side for quite some time, and I hadn't even realized it. That's really an airhead moment, if I do say so myself.

So, like any good sword-er…-caring-for-person, I decided to start looking through my guest room.

It wasn't there.

In my second attempt, I decided upon retracing my steps.

As you can see (and if you remember, please don't rub it in my face… yeah, I'm talking to you, creepy book nerd in the back), this ended up in another OSM.

Two in one day! That's gotta be a record!

My sword was probably in a random alley.

And _that_, dear readers, was when I decided to go on a walk.

To find my sword.

I slipped into a pair of skinny jeans, my (amazing) converse, and the black army pea coat over a T-shirt, and my creamish-white scarf.

Oh hell yeah. Badass on the field _and_ in the closet!

…

Right, that could be taken wrong. Shut up, Madi. Never make a closet reference again. It leads to awkward situational thoughts.

_**.M.I.W.**_

It was snowing in New York.

I'm a fan of snow. It's pretty legitimate if you think about it. It can easily create the most romantic, depressing, or creepy atmosphere.

Reasons for romantic? Hot chocolate, snow ball fights, sleigh rides, ice skating, et cetera.

Not _ectcetera_, for all of those fucking idiots who say it like that. It makes you a tool.

Reasons for it being depressing? Snow is the world-known symbol for death, frost bitten limbs, and so forth.

Now, reasons for it being creepy.

This is my own personal issue with snow, no offense to all of you snow lovers.

The thing is, every time it snows, it's eerily quiet. It's something that's never quite settled with me. Silent and white. It makes me relate snow with insanity. Is that weird?

Oh well, I think so.

I walked through a silent park, the only sound would be my feet crunching against the accumulating inches of snow falling in huge, fluffy white particles from the sky.

I continued to scowl at poor, slightly disintegrated Jeremeil hilt in my hand, save for a couple of inches of the blade still intact. It was quite depressing.

Normally, I'm not such a sentimental person, but Jeremeil had gotten me out of some sticky situations in the past. He was my sidekick that never spoke, but made me feel like I could really belong in a world.

But now poor Jerry was dead.

"Jeremeil." I tried in another half-hearted attempt.

The blade only glimmered dimly for a few moments, and then went out.

_Crack!_

I froze for a split second, then quickly stashed the quarter sword into the top of my jacket.

_Snap!_

I narrowed my eyes, sweeping a fast gaze over the abandoned park. Yes, abandoned.

But what I'd heard was real.

It seemed like when it was me and the snow, that was it. Now some serial killer was going to take me on, I'd have to kill him, and then run away.

_Psycho_ by 50 Cent suddenly plunged into my head, when Eminem started rapping about dragging bodies for about a block. Yes, I was catching the irony.

Feet were crunching through the snow. I could hear them, all around me. Moving so quickly no mortal could probably hear it. At least it sounded like just one set.

My heart started beating faster, and I slowly pulled out my partial seraph blade. Better to have a messed up weapon than no weapon at all.

I was cornered. I could just feel it.

"Nephilim."

My throat closed when I heard the name, and twirled the blade in my hand. My eyes scanned over the park once again, but I had nothing.

"Who –" I mentally cursed at my stupid, quivering voice. "Who's asking?"

A small _whoosh_ at my back, pushing my hair back to leave goose bumps on the nape of my neck. I gripped the sword's hilt tighter.

"I am." A deep, male voice stated with the upmost calm. It sounded dark, velvety, and severely creepy.

I spun around sharply, trying to give a decent swing, only to come to a complete halt.

Before my seraph sliced the pale, angular face of my attacker, I took pause. His dark, almost black eyes gazed down into mine with the amount of disdain to make my blood turn cold.

Now, I know what you're thinking. I know for sure what I was thinking when it all came down to it. I stopped in mid-swing because of an _expression_?

Well, when you look at something like _that_, tell me how you react.

It was a boy, a teenager (a young adult?), standing not even inches away. Just one millimeter or two, and he would be touching me. The guy was probably two heads taller than me, with ink black hair that went down to his shoulders being peppered with the white flakes of snow that came into contact with it.

"Who are you?" I demanded, more annoyed with myself than anything else. "How do you know me?"

"I don't." He retorted, and I backed off a couple of feet, just to regain my bearings. "But I know your type. Who do you run with?"

_Who do I run with? Um… myself, because none of my friends are really into working out and stuff like that._ I thought idly.

"Why do you need to know?" I snapped.

"Calm yourself, Shadowhunter." A bell voice tinkled. I looked to the dude's left to see another girl, just as tall as the guy with yellow hair, and just as dark eyes. "We're not here to fight."

I narrowed my eyes, and gave the seraph a few flips to reassure myself. "Then what's up with your creeping? I know I'm exceedingly mysterious and fascinating and all, but –"

"Enough." The guy snapped.

I took a defensive position, my foot crackling in the snow as I balanced my weight.

The dark haired guy faced me equally, pulling out two small daggers, black eyes blazing with irritation.

"Yes, enough, _Meliorn_." The blonde trilled. "We're here to talk, Nephilim."

"About what?" I still kept up the stiffness even as Meliorn stood up and relaxed, stashing the weapons. Wait –

"_Meliorn_?" I asked, not even keeping the shock out of my tone.

Faeries? I was face-to-face with two _Faeries_?

The dark haired one, Meliorn, raised his eyebrows neutrally. "You know me?"

"Faerie knight for the Seelie Queen." I answered automatically. I then looked to the blonde, lowering my sword at my side. "What is this about?"

"The Seelie Queen wishes to have an audience with you." Blondie replied.

What? My eyebrows furrowed. "Uh… Right now?"

Meliorn gave a short nod, while the blonde replied. "Right now." She said in a whispery voice.

"Though I don't know why." Meliorn noted, and I narrowed my eyes at him. "She looks nothing like them."

"Because I'm about ten times better." I replied sharply. "I'm of the badass variety."

The dark haired Faerie knight looked down on me, contempt plain in the thin line that his mouth was set at. He rolled his eyes and walked gracefully past. "Shadowhunters." He snorted.

I decided to let the comment lie, and followed their nearly silent steps through the park.

_**.M.I.W.**_

The sound of water roaring through my ears, soaking my entire body, was followed with shock and the panicky sense of not being able to breathe.

My knees jarred upon the impact of hard ground, definitely throwing off my balance, and making me stumble to the side. My eyes widened at the sight of a dark abyss stretching before me, and was the surefire way to my death.

That was, until, a strong, warm hand grabbed my arm just above my elbow, and roughly tugged me upright. I straightened up and gave a sheepish look at Meliorn, whose gaze was still (none too surprising) irritated.

"Er… thanks." I said awkwardly.

Meliorn raised a perfectly angled, thin eyebrow. Then, just as I thought he was going to say something minutely friendly, he rolled his eyes and started a brisk pace towards… well, wherever the hell we were going.

I shivered, wrapping my soaked sleeves around me, even though it didn't do much good. I looked around the dark cavern, a spotlight from the sunlight above where I'd fallen lighting the place.

"We must make haste." The girl murmured, brushing past me. I looked down to see Jeremeil, quickly picked up his remains, and jogged after the Faeries.

I frowned as I looked to see Meliorn stopping at a wall, or… a curtain, draped with dead vines. He didn't make for any dramatics, and pulled open the dead vines. They crackled under his hand as he forced them aside. "After you." He pretty much spat.

I rolled my eyes, but took heed anyway. (OMG, I used the word 'heed' in a sentence)

We walked in a fast pace, me leading the way with the two Faeries closely behind. The Court was surprisingly dark, a large room painted dim. The back of my mind reeled with the slight irritation that there was something off, something missing.

We passed through a small corridor with light at the other side. I felt a presence at my side, and then hot breath fan across my ear. "Hurry, Nephilim." Meliorn hissed.

I whipped my head to glare at him, our noses barely brushing against the other's. "Look." I growled. "I'm cold, I'm soaked with freezing water, there's a cut on my hand from the ice you made me fall through, and to top it all off, I'm short. I can't help my speed at the moment."

"Now that does not sound true to your codes, Shadowhunter." A languid, clear voice rang out in the hall.

We were in another room, and I was staring at a woman on a throne with another shaft of light shining down upon her like a spotlight.

The woman was pale (paler than me, even) and thin, with dark eyes that looked me over head to toe, as if assessing something. Her deep purple dress looked as if it were made for a person (quite) a few sizes bigger than her.

I faced her in all of my soaked rat, shivering, teeth-chattering glory. "In all honesty, the codes don't apply to me. Majesty." I nodded curtly.

Yeah, because I'm not entirely disrespectful and rude to all of my superiors.

She continued to study me. The Queen's small, ruby red lips pursed, making them even smaller than they were. Her eyebrows furrowed. "What is your name, Nephilim?"

"Madi Herondale." I informed her shortly.

The Seelie Queen's confusion seemed to deepen. "Herondale…?"

"Jace Lightwood is my cousin." I said. "If that makes it any clearer."

The woman nodded. "I suppose it does. You have the same mannerisms."

I shrugged. "We stand out from the crowds with our raw brilliance."

"And not the least bit modest either. Definitely a Herondale." She bantered. "Pride is a sin, as your kind would recall."

I grinned. "Religion, kind lady, is a weakness to mankind I have overcome."

I suddenly saw doubt flicker across her eyes. "You are different than most Shadowhunters."

Okay, I was taken aback. And what better way to deflect this taken aback-ness than with sarcasm?

I waved the sword offhandedly. "Different. Unique. Out of the ordinary. _Extraordinary_. Amazingly skilled in all things awesome. There's a list."

"Are you going to be staying at the Brooklyn Institute long?" She asked tranquilly.

"No," I answered. "I'm just a guest."

"Where are you normally stationed then?"

I shrugged. What was a good way to say this without sounding like a total tool? "Wherever they need me. I don't stay in one place long."

Yup, even I couldn't do it.

"I have a proposition for you, Miss Herondale." The Seelie Queen said.

I raised an eyebrow, shifting my weight. "And that would be?"

"There have been some occurrences happening around my territory." She informed me. "We've contacted the Clave, but that has been weeks ago, and another of our people have been attacked."

"By?"

"Demons. Organized. They seem to have slipped under this Institute's radar."

My grip tightened on the hilt of Jeremeil. "And what do you expect me to do about it?"

"Keep a… closer eye on things." The Queen said. "For us. Try and understand what this is."

I cocked my head to the side. "And if I don't?"

"Let's just say…" The Queen mused. "One of your own might have some… problems that might not be fixed."

I snorted at her cryptic language. "The _fu_ –?"

Clary. Demon attack. Unconscious. Those words flew into the front of my mind in rapid fire, making my blood start pumping.

The Queen nodded, amusement in her eyes. "You think faster than your kind too. That can only benefit –"

I turned tail and made a beeline for the exit.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**Okay, so for the situational issue, it's December in the Madi-world.**

**I know you're dying to know what kind of music Madi listens to. Check out the playlist. You can find it on my profile.**


	11. Swallowed Pride

**THEMESONGS:**

_**The Spectator**_** ~ The Bravery**

_**60 Feet Tall**_** ~ The Dead Weather**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**11. Swallowed Pride**

I was making a beeline for the Institute, my heart racing and the serum trying to make a comeback. I was somewhat upset that it hadn't made a comeback when I needed it, but I guessed it needed a couple of days to recuperate. My fingers, toes, and nose were all numb, and I could only take that as a bad sign.

I waved Jeremeil in front of the large, imposing doors. "Herondale –"

They swung open obediently, and I raced to the elevator.

"Come on, come on, dammit!" I snarled as I finger-stabbed the button for the fifth floor. "_Go!_"

The ride felt obnoxiously long, and when the doors finally opened, I broke out of the elevator and started running for the infirmary room.

"Clary," I heard a relieved voice from inside.

I grappled the door handle hard with my numb hands, and jerked it open.

"Jace!" I yelled.

I apologize for the dramatics, but the next scene I believe was something that I will never forget for as long as I'll live.

There was Clary, awake, one of her hands in Jace's. Her eyes scanned the room, a beyond shocked expression on her face. "Where am I?" She demanded when her eyes fell on me.

Jace must've squeezed her hand tighter, because her head whipped to his face. "You're safe at the Institute." He told her soothingly.

Clary pulled her hand out of Jace's, giving him the biggest shock of his life. At least, that's what it looked like in his eyes. "Who are you?" She demanded, looking down at the bed she was in. She attempted to roll out of it, until Jace grabbed her shoulders to hold her down.

"Clary, come on," He said, eyes swimming for composure. "Don't play around."

_Smack!_

My eyes could only get bigger as Clary's hand collided against Jace's cheek. She then fell out of her cot, and ran.

Even I couldn't move fast enough when she raced past me, more or less due to shock than anything else. I turned back to Jace, his expression absolutely horrified. "What –"

"Come on." I told him, already running down the hallway.

The doors to the elevator were already closing, making my chest clench.

"Dammit!" I hissed, and raced for the elevator –

But a large hand clamped on my wet coat collar, and I jerked backwards. Jace hauled me towards a window. I'd already had the situation read in two seconds or less.

"Oh no," I yelped, "Oh no, no, no. Please. I'm afraid of heights –"

Jace removed his hand from my coat, opening the window, letting in a gust of freezing air and a tiny snow flurry.

"It's freezing outside." I suggested as I took a few steps back. "Maybe you should get a jacket –"

He reached back, however, and pulled the shoulder of my coat towards the window. "We don't have that kind of time." He informed me. "Hold on tight, and close your eyes."

"Jace, please." I sad as he put one leg out of the window. "I'm all pro-saving-Clary and all, but I don't want to die."

"We're not going to die." He replied tranquilly, holding my hand in his as he was now fully out the window. He smiled at me from outside. "Come along, cousin. Why do you always have to keep up with me?"

"Ha, ha, ha," I narrowed my eyes at him, "Hear my sarcastic l –"

Jace jerked me out of the window, making me fall into his chest, and we fell backwards and down.

I clutched tightly to his thin black T-shirt, keeping up a quiet stream of expletives as I clenched my eyes shut.

And I felt Jace land on the ground lightly. My feet touched the ground just as carefully.

I opened my eyes when I felt a gentle gust of wind on my face, pushing back my hair, only to see my blonde crusader gone.

And running around the next corner.

I narrowed my eyes at his form, and shook my head. "What a bastard." I muttered darkly, and bolted after him.

With the mutated DNA whatnots, I was running alongside Jace, both of us at an even pace.

As I glanced over at him, I saw how intent his eyes were, like there was nothing else that mattered in the world. The snow for now had ended, but I had a feeling it would start again soon.

My breathing came out in small, short clouds as I followed Jace's path, and let him lead the way.

Suddenly, in the middle of a crosswalk, Jace froze.

I ran right past him, and slid to a stop. My converse had barely any traction on the ice, and I ended up a couple of feet away from him. It lead to a totally uncool walk-beside compared to Jace's 'OMG-I'm-such-a-mo-fuckin'-badass' pose.

I followed his gaze, seeing a flash of red pushing through the crowd ahead.

"I know this may be a little late, but I must know." I said as I tracked Clary's hair. "This is New York, and we've been running through crowds. Why have we not been cussed out yet?"

"Glamour." Jace responded breathlessly.

This was also when I realized we were in the center of the crosswalk, where there were no people walking… across. I whipped around to see the streetlight change to green.

"Jace, let's just take the sidewalk."

"It'll take too long!" He snapped. "Just follow my lead."

I turned back to see a cab car coming straight for us.

"And…" I looked at Jace for a split second, before tightening my fists. "Don't get hit."

I gave a cynical laugh at that, suddenly realizing the hilarity of this situation. "Oh yeah, right –!"

I turned past the cab, feeling it brush against my coat to see the next car coming straight for me.

I glanced over at Jace to see him actually walking _on_ the car's hood, _over_ the roof, and running _off_ the trunk.

"What the –"

_Boosh!_

"God _dammit_!" I yelped as I hit the cold concrete hard, my palms scratching against the ice.

My hip felt like I'd just come into contact with a brick building and I let out a husky breath as tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. God, that hurt.

"Jace Lightwood!" I shrieked as I slowly pulled myself up to face the next car. "I hate your mother fucking _guts_!"

I watched as the dark blue Mercedes coming straight at me –

This time, I took it head on, and ran up the hood. My feet made metal-like clunks across it as I jumped to the roof. My hip felt sharp pain as I continued, and groaned as I landed hard on the street, ready to take on the next car.

I saw Jace already running ahead of me, making much more progress than I was.

_**.M.I.W.**_

"I think I'm going to pass out." I groaned as I made my way to Jace's side. My knees were shaky, my side was in pain. Such horrible pain. "Or puke first, I don't know which. I think that little 'game' you invented cracked my hip bone."

I fell to a sitting position, leaning against Jace's leg as we both stared across the street, watching Clary run into her house and slam the door behind her.

"She's all right." I heard him let out a sigh of relief.

Two seconds later, he fell to a sitting position by my side, and we both collapsed to laying down. My head rested on Jace's stomach as he stared blankly at the sky, breathing just as hard as I was.

"She's safe." I said, just to keep his spirits up.

"Safe." He replied hollowly.

I don't really remember how long we were just laying like that, only that it was a long time. It was like we barely noticed the cold, icy ground touching our bare skin or seeping through our clothes.

Finally, when I caught my breath, I stood and looked down at Jace. His gaze was blank as he stared up at the sky, and I slowly held out a hand.

His golden eyes watched it, regarded it, and then finally his equally freezing fingers grasped mine. I helped pull him up, and watched him. He looked wobbly, unstable, lost.

I shook my head. "I'm going to fix this, Jace. I promise."

"You think you could?"

Of course, it sounded a little insulting at first, which made me raise my eyebrows in surprise. Then I took a few steps back. My pains were dull now, replaced with a familiar serum adrenaline rush.

"At the moment?" I asked as I felt my heart beat faster and faster. "I think I'm the only one who can. Subjective views… and all that."

And then I turned around, and ran.

_**.M.I.W.**_

For the second time in one day, I faced a frozen pond. I walked forward, stepping on the thin ice.

For the second time in one day, I fell through the ice right at the center of the pond. Cold water rushed through my clothes and stuck to my bones as my stomach rose to my chest in the sickening fear that I was falling.

I hit the ground with an _oomf_, groaning at how messed up my hips were getting from this. It already felt like I'd dislocated and broken it in several places.

I stumbled to a standing position, glaring at the dimly lit cavern ahead of me, a small path leading to the veil of vines at the end. I let out a sharp breath and squared my shoulders, guessing now would be as good a time as any to start walking.

As I pushed through the dead vines, I couldn't help but feel highly played by this Queen. In an writer's view point, she was playing around the chronological order of this plot, which is something any good writer attempts.

So, which writer was writing my story of life? This too-good-to-be-true storyline where the mortal, normal girl becomes a dimension traveling assassin.

I pressed my fingers in between my brows. Some things were just too big and deep to think about at the moment, which included a sci-fi moment of where I was the character of some plot and I could travel _there_ to see my future.

Ugh, I do hate when I'm in pain and delirious.

I traveled through the dim, empty caverns, following the brightest source of light and the steps to which Meliorn and that unknown blonde had led me.

"Ah, Miss Herondale." The too-pleased, bell voice of the Seelie Queen (which in German means 'dying' in case you were wondering) rang out in her court. "I'm so happy you could join us once again. I hope your waylays weren't _too_ troublesome."

I rolled my eyes as I watched the Queen sitting high on her throne, her large, billowing dresses surrounding her along with some of her other Faerie maids sitting clustered around her.

The maids had giggled at the Queen's 'wit', and watched me with eager eyes as I untied my soaking scarf and let it hang limply on my neck. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"I'm not here to banter anymore." I stated. "Just tell me what I need to do and I'll do it."

The Queen smiled, making her small, thin lips look like they were elastic. Filled with the tension of being stretched. "We've traced the attacks, and they've slowly been leading here."

"You think the demons are coming after you?" I asked.

The Queen gave a short nod. "Yes."

I inwardly rolled my eyes. "Fine. I'll sweep the park every night. Can I have the cure now?"

And snap. Her smile snapped back to her tiny, puckered lips, and her eyebrows pinched. "Miss Herondale, please. You haven't even filled your part of the bargain."

I narrowed my eyes. Seriously?

"Fine." I hissed sharply. "Every night until the end of the month. Then you'll give me the cure, and I'll continue my services for as long as I can manage, just because I'm that good of a person."

The Queen nodded again, a smaller smile on her face. "Thank you, Nephilim."

"Whatever." I waved her off, turning back to the exit.

But I paused, because I enjoyed a good dramatic moment.

"And I'm not a Nephilim." I let out a shivering breath as my insides continued to grow colder and colder, my fingertips cold and prune-like. "I'm a Rogue."


	12. Black, White, and Gray

**Wow, you guys have no idea how excited I was to post this chapter. Madi suddenly has a LOT more to deal with!**

**Book Ninja 15:**** Thank you for your continuous support, love you heaps (even though I don't know you that well… O_o)**

**Vampire-Princess271995:**** Oh my God, what is up with all of those numbers? Lol, but thank you so much for your comments and I'll definitely consider your suggestion. I like the book too.**

**Cridge15:**** oOoOo thanks a heap!**

**Okay, so there are your shoutouts. Be grateful.**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**Burn My Shadow **_**~ Unkle (this song is actually starting to irritate me)**

_**Till I Collapse**_** ~ Eminem**

_**Blue Blood Blues**_** ~ The Dead Weather**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**12. The White, the Black, and Everything Else in the Shade of Gray**

Two weeks had passed since the agreement of the Seelie Court.

Things at the Institute had been tense.

Since Clary's apparent bout of amnesia, she only remembered her life before Pandemonium. Where Simon was still human, her father was dead, and she didn't know the love of her life was her personal cheerleader.

Jace was always with her, always trying to help her remember things about the Institute, but never things, I realized, about _them_. As a couple.

I decided against confronting him about it, and instead acted as the cheerleader for the cheerleader.

I felt bad. Here I had the cure for Clary hanging in front of me, but only for the chance of protecting the Seelie Queen.

And that had gone, I guess, slightly decent. The Queen's little puppets would stalk me throughout the day, asking if I had seen anything. My answer had always been the same. The area around the park had been clear, and none of the Lightwoods had picked up anything having to do with demon activity.

It was noon at the Institute, and I was once again wandering the halls with Church at my side, both of us searching for Jace. Clary was at her mom's for some reason or another, meaning he actually had some time to himself.

"Jace!" I called again.

Church popped his head into a room, meowed quite loudly, and then came to my side again to repeat the same procedure with another room.

When the library was in sight, I opened the door and walked inside. This would be as good a shot as any.

"Jace Lightwood!" I yelled as I strolled past the aisles, and affected a south-western drawl. "One dearest Southern beauty does so _desperately_ need your assistance!"

Of course, I stiffened at the sight of a familiar redhead popping her head from one of the shelves. I glanced down at Church, at my side, flattening his ears in confusion.

Her huge eyes were locked on mine, looking quite curious. "Er…" I raked my fingers through my hair. "I was looking for Jace."

"I noticed." Her eyebrows furrowed. "Why'd you come in here?"

I shrugged. "He spends most of his time in here. Seemed like the most reasonable option."

Clary didn't say anything, and continued to regard me like I was hiding something. In all truth, I may as well have been.

"I don't really see you around the Institute much." She suddenly piped up. I raised my eyebrows in response, just baiting her into going on. She didn't need much persistence. "The only times I've ever seen you is when you're with Jace."

I shrugged. "We're close."

Her green eyes darkened at that. "Oh."

"I'm just a guest here." I continued. "You invited me to your mom's wedding."

"With Luke." She murmured, a faraway look in her eyes.

I nodded, and smiled slightly. "It's awesome they're getting married, right?"

"Yeah." She smiled back, and shrugged jokingly. "It was only a matter of time."

"I know right?" I agreed in slight exasperation. "It was just so obvious."

"Totally!" She agreed, and then her smile turned into a frown. "They postponed their wedding because of me."

I frowned, and crossed the room. I sat in the chair that belonged to the table that separated us, propping my feet on the table. Church seemed to take this as his cue and jumped on my lap. I narrowed my eyes slightly at him, while his yellow eyes looked at me like he was saying: 'yeah, I know, and I don't care'.

I rolled my eyes. Cats.

I gestured to the chair across from me for Clary to sit down. "It was a horrible accident." I told her as she took my instructions. "It… it couldn't be helped."

"Were you there?" She asked, her eyes widening in hope.

"Yes –" I nodded, but backtracked, "But after the effects had been laid. None of us were there to know how this happened, only that you were surrounded by demons. Then we killed them and brought you back to the Institute."

I let her digest this information as I attempted to stroke Church's head. As a result, he attempted to bite me. I jerked my hand back in surprise, and held out a finger to reprimand him. He merely lifted a paw and swatted at my hand. I gave up after that.

I looked back at Clary, and frowned. "Don't you remember _anything_? Anything at all?"

Her eyes started watering, and I mentally kicked myself. Tip number six hundred and ninety-three: Madi fears crying people.

"No," she whispered shakily, "And that's what's so scary. I just wish I did, I really, _really_ do –"

Church looked up at me with an expression I think mirrored my own.

When Clary glanced up at me, her cheeks started growing red, and she rubbed her eyes. "I'm – I'm sorry." She said. "I shouldn't have –"

And that was pretty much when I decided upon something that I probably would never do again. Like… ever.

I reached forward (as best I could when I had a giant cat on my lap) and rested my hand on her arm. Just for a second, before pulling away. "You're fine." I shrugged. "It must be confusing as hell. A little emotional –"

Suddenly, the library doors swung open, Alec bursting in. His jet black hair swooped over his eyes as he struggled with his Shadowhunter shirt.

"Demons. Near Hotel du Mort." He reported in a grunt.

My heart started beating faster at the prospect. "Got it." I replied as I jumped up, Church dropping to the floor quite stylishly.

As Alec ran off once again, I glanced back at Clary, seeing her eyes wide and confused.

I smiled back slightly. "How about on the way home I bring home some ice cream and a movie? Any preferences?"

She continued to stare in slight shock.

"No?" I shrugged. "How about _Paranormal Activity 2_, because I'm dying to see the ending that was too scary for theaters. And then maybe something… better?"

"They made _another_ _Paranormal Activity_?" Clary said with slight disgust.

I grinned. "I know right? This one was totally beastin' though. I'll get two movies then. Isabelle will be ecstatic."

After that I ran down the hallway to the weapon's room. It was about time I got a new device of slaughter.

And any girl can smile at that prospect.

_**.M.I.W.**_

"Jace Lightwood." I sighed as I walked into the weapon's room to see my familiar blonde applying Marks with a steele. "Do you know how long I've been looking for you?"

He shrugged, completely focused on his Mark-making.

I sat down next to him, picking up one of the extra steeles, twirling its smooth cool surface in my fingers.

I slowly touched the tip to my skin, feeling the slight burn I'd felt the first time this had happened.

"Don't." Jace said warningly, and I looked over to still see his eyes totally focused on his arm. "I'll do you in a second."

Yes, I remember this line, this amusing innuendo, and I smirked slightly. "Sorry, Jace, but I'm just not in the mood."

I chortled when his eyes widened, and he looked at me in surprise. "No, I didn't –"

"Chill out." I rolled my eyes. "I was kidding."

He nodded, pushing me some folded black material. "Here's some gear. It should be your size."

I nodded as I picked up the gear and the boots, and made my way to the nearest bathroom.

After changing into some badass looking gear, you have to kind of give yourself a onceover.

And, (wheeze) oh my God, I looked legitimate.

A pair of black skin tight pants, a simple black tank top, black fingerless gloves, an amazing jacket, and those English riding boots that went a little above the knee.

Okay, now I really, _really_ wanted to go kill stuff.

I held the jacket over my arm as I came back to the weapon's room and grinned evilly at Jace. "Do you know you have one of _the most_ wicked, badass jobs in the universe?"

"Yes." He nodded as he took my shoulders and guided me to the bench he was just sitting on. "We rank right under _What Not to Wear_."

I nodded as I felt the burn of the steele against my skin. "That show is quite intense. What worries me, though, is that you watch it."

I looked over at the Marks jet black against my pale skin, and smiled as they left those beautiful swirling, artistic lines, but frowned as my next train of thought. "My seraph kind of got… disintegrated."

"I know." Jace replied as he moved on to my other arm. "I didn't think you wanted it back."

"No, no, I'm good." I shrugged. "It's just that maybe…?"

He sighed, quite loudly to a point where I could feel his hot breath hit my shoulder. "Fine." He muttered, and stepped back to show the weapons displayed on the wall.

I took the time to glance back at my Marked up arms, and grinned.

"Any preferences?" He asked.

I jumped up as I pulled on my gloves, studying the swords carefully.

"Guys! Come on!" Alec called.

I automatically reached for the two closest seraph blades in my reach that were very light, and a few inches longer than my last one. I widened my eyes as I studied their arched shapes, much more artistically built than Jeremeil.

"Those are twin swords." Jace said. "Let's go."

_**.M.I.W.**_

Probably five minutes later Alec, Jace, Isabelle and I were standing in front of the Hotel du Mort, looking quite badass. I adjusted the straps of my new seraph blade scabbards to tighten them. They were on my back in the form of an 'x', which meant to pull them out I had to reach over my head and pull them out.

It was awesome.

"Maybe we should've called for backup." Alec said nervously.

Jace snorted. "We've got this."

"It's really quiet in there." Isabelle noted.

"All the more reason to see what's up." I reasoned.

"I agree with Madi." Jace piped up.

"Of course you would." Isabelle rolled her eyes. "You both are sadistic freaks."

"_Thanks_, Izz. Means a heap." I replied sarcastically. "And here I was going to invite you to a girl's night in."

"Really?" She asked excitedly.

I nodded. "Yup. We should hit the movie rental store after this and get ice cream."

"Can we go now?" Jace demanded. "I don't really care about listening to your toe painting adventures. Though I can't really say the same for Alec."

Alec turned bright red.

"I _don't_ paint my toes." I stated. "And the only color I use is black."

I don't think Jace really paid that much attention to me after that, because he was crossing the abandoned street and leaving us to follow. Isabelle sighed loudly, tightening the handle of her whip in her palm. "Let's go before he gets killed."

I started running across the street at that, my steps pretty much silent. God, I loved these Marks. My heart was pounding, the winter wind blowing right through me and causing goose bumps to form on my skin almost instantly.

I was at Jace's side in the next instant, both of us looking up at the boarded up window ten feet above us. I looked at Jace, who raised his eyebrows to me in expectation. I regarded the window once more, and shrugged.

It was that unspoken agreement thing we had.

I took a couple of steps back just as Isabelle and Alec joined our sides. "Why not?" I asked Jace.

"Why not what?" Isabelle demanded.

"Jace and I will be the distraction." I informed them, already running to the building, both me and Jace jumping up at the exact same time and clutching the boards.

Jace was one board up from me, and I glared up at him as I kicked my feet along the brick wall and pushed myself up. I finally got the courage to reach the next board, and pulled myself up. Then the next board.

"Not bad, Em." He grunted as he attempted to pull himself up. "I'm almost surprised you can keep up."

I didn't really have the mind power to formulate a response and hissed as I dug my fingers further into the fragile wood, and continued to climb until I was one board up from him. I smiled down at him slightly, and his eyes widened in recognition as I swung back –

I landed hard on my backside on the rich, blood red carpet, facing a dim hallway. The only light came from the streetlamps outside. I craned my head back when I saw Jace scramble in behind me, and pulled myself up just as he stepped in.

It was then, barely there, that I heard the sounds.

Ripping, tearing, gasps of pain.

My eyes narrowed, and I glanced back at Jace, whose gaze only proved I wasn't imagining things. He started to run, leaving me to follow. I rolled my eyes as his silent steps carried his retreating form. Why did I feel like I was getting into serious shit? My heart was curling uncomfortably in my chest.

I then followed the youngest, and best Shadowhunter in modern day history.

My steps were thankfully just as silent as Jace's, and I soon was flanking his side. We ran down one flight of stairs, and then faced a gruesome sight in a large room that seemed to have once acted as a dance room. It was large and grand, and in the center were about fifty vampires attempting to clash with those similar demons Clary had been fighting. The odds seemed about two to one.

My eyes widened. "Holy –"

Suddenly, one of the vampires let out a sickening shriek as a demon took him down. Jace had already taken to grabbing the railing of the stairs, and flipped himself over.

I glared at him as he landed on the ground below, and jumped into the fray. God, there was no way in hell I was about to attempt taking a twenty foot drop.

I ran to the stairs, taking the banister, and slid down. Yes, I'm aware. Not _as_ cool as Wonder Boy, but cool enough.

When I hit the ground (and I mean I fell off of the banister and rolled across the hardwood floor), I jumped up and sprinted to the vampire whose cry had held my attention.

Just as the demon's slobbering jaws were about to clamp over the unconscious vampire's head, I reached back and whipped out my swords. A sudden sting on both of my wrists made me drop the blades in surprise, and I looked at my bleeding cuts.

"Oh damn." I muttered, realizing I'd inadvertently cut myself with my own blades.

The demon's head snapped up to me at the same time I looked at it, curling its lips back in a snarl.

Now, I'd been relatively calm until this moment, but now my heart was pounding in fear as the demon started snaking its way towards me. I reached down and grabbed my swords, and suddenly realized as I backed up that they needed a name.

"Um…" I said as my mind scrambled to find the answer. Come on, I'd researched angel names for a book! I should remember!

"_Metatron_!" I called. The seraph in my left hand lighting up. I looked at the one in my right. "_Sandalphon_!"

The demon charged, and I let my left hand swipe in a smooth arch, slicing the demon's jaw. It snarled and backed up, saliva dripping from its mouth and dropping to the floor, leaving scorch marks.

My heart was pounding on overdrive as I could feel a cold, whispering threading in and around my veins. My vision was beginning to grow fuzzy, and it was difficult to stay in a

stand in place.

It hissed. I grimaced.

The pain started soon after as soon as the serum hit my heart, and it exploded to about the speed of Eminem's rapping in _Despicable_. Then my whole world snapped back into reality, my eyesight in strong like it was HD so I could see every little thing. My hearing was intensified to a point where I could hear the rats scampering and weaving through the battle. And my body. Oh good God, I felt like I could lift cars and throw them across Ireland.

Why did I say Ireland? I have no idea, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

The demon lunged fast before I could regain my bearings, knocking me over. I narrowed my eyes sharply at it before readying both hands for attack. I stabbed it in the shoulder with my right sword, while I took another swipe at its head with my left.

My smile grew impossibly large as it shrieked back in pain, and I ran straight towards it. I pulled both swords to my right side as I advanced on it. The demon shook its head in pain and snarled as it tried to regain whatever bearings it had, but I swung left with both swords. They struck deep, and through the demon's neck.

As soon as its head went rolling off to the side, I looked up to see a pair of black eyes, framed by a human face, staring at me like I had the whole universe in my position.

A vampire.

I glanced down at my still-bleeding arms, and then up again. It was about that moment that I realized I was in the position of… er… a midnight snack. Mainly because this vampire was wounded, and needed nutrition. It seemed like Rogue was his top menu choice. I flipped the sword in my right hand and turned to the side, taking up a defensive posture.

Suddenly (yes, it was indeed _quite_ sudden), a demon flew out and went straight for him –

But I was already off the ground in a sprint just as the creepy lizard came at the vampire. I swung first with my left hand at its leg, effectively slicing off its foot, and my right arm crossed over my left to deliver a slice to the head, killing it instantly.

I dropped to the ground to a kneel, my swords crossed at the vampire's throat. Both of our breathing was surprisingly labored. He scrambled back slightly, but I leaned forward. He froze, panting with his fangs extended. "Don't. Kill. Me." I breathed.

The vampire blinked, and then gave a short nod.

I nodded back. "Run."

As soon as I pulled my swords back, he was up and running for the nearest exit.

Isabelle and Alec had charged past me only two seconds before, but I really had no reason to mention it because I was in the middle of something. But they were there, and fighting. Jace and Alec were already taking on two demons with a fantastic show, making me envious of their awesome-ness.

And that is the first _and_ last time you will ever hear me be envious towards Jace. Stuff like that is saved for people who can draw.

_**.M.I.W.**_

The last demon had been killed by Isabelle, who'd taken great care to do it with as slowly and painful as possible. I think Jace had even started salivating at the sight of the kill. I know I had to swallow back a little bit of spit that'd collected in my mouth.

"_Cer-ti-fiable_." I grinned, still feeling the effects of my chemical-enhancer-high. I looked around the dismembered demons that were slowly shriveling up and being cast into their own dimensions. I wondered idly if that was what was going to happen to me if someone finally got the upper hand.

I didn't need to wait long though, because the look on Jace's face slowly started to say it all. "Madi –!"

But I'd already heard it. Everything happened in slow motion.

The nearly silent footsteps had caught my attention, then the slight breeze at my back alerted me someone was coming. I flipped my left sword in my ready hand, and crossed my arm and tucked the blade into my right side. I spun around with my readied Sandalphon, swiping at the chest of a boy, probably no older than me. He fell backward, and I fell to a knee with him, burying the blade of Metatron into his shoulder.

He shrieked, opaque black eyes sparkling with fury and starbursts of pain. His pale, fair skin was turning a faint purple, black veins protruding from his neck and arms with his screeches of pain. Black blood bubbled from his wounds and stained his orange and white striped shirt. I could feel my heart beat faster at the sight.

"Who are you?" I snarled. "Show me your true form."

He glared at me, his sharp teeth bared and looked absolutely feral.

I dug Metatron in further. The boy groaned in pure agony from underneath me, his eyes rolling back into his head as he arched his back.

"Do it." I hissed.

Meeting my eyes once again, he slowly shifted into…

My God.

The familiar bat like wings began to protrude from his back. That faintly purple skin now amethyst and spreading over large, coiled muscle, leading down to large, clawed hands. His legs jutted out and grew into predatory arched raptor-like feet.

This was no ordinary demon.

This was the demon that'd started my entire adventure. And I sure as hell don't mean in this world alone.

"Rogue child." He pretty much purred in a deep, satanic voice. Oh yeah, his voice was easily satanic. No question about it. "Isn't that what you've dubbed yourself now? It is quite fitting, I agree –"

"Shut up!" I snarled, taking Sandalphon and stabbing his thigh.

He let out a shriek, reminding me of a ready teapot. I ground my teeth against the noise, and watched as his wail of pain soon turned into laughter. "So feisty." He approved. "I chose wisely."

"You chose the perfect suicide tool." I retorted.

"Enjoying my gift, I see." He went on conversationally, while it made me seethe. "How does it fit you? Hopping around dimensions must have its advantages. You look much more different from the last time we crossed paths. More jaded, perhaps –"

I twisted both swords, making him choke off his response. "I don't know what the fuck you're talking about," I growled, "But you're going to stop. Why are the demons here? You _must_ have something to do with them."

"Consider it a test, my pet." He cooed, the patronizing sound grating against my eardrums. "We shall meet again."

There was something in those condemned eyes that held me captive for a moment. It made my chest fill with an agony I'd only experienced once before, and that was an experience I never wanted to live through again.

_Belial…_

"Madi?" Jace called, worry evident in his voice and making me snap back to reality.

"You are no angel." The demon hissed, suddenly looking disgusted.

"And you're going to die." I informed him, jerking my swords out of him. He arched his back, a wicked smile on his face, as I swung my swords like a pendulum –

"MADI!" Someone shrieked.

But it was too late, I'd struck through, and his head was chopped off.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**Phew, this was rather long-winded. Epic battle scene, right?**

**Okay, definitely look up the angle names Metatron and Sandalphon. If you do and leave it in your comments, you get a cookie and a piece of bacon.**

**Now go!**

**By the way… there are equally long chapters ahead. :)**


	13. Crack a Carton?

**So, I just checked up on Polyvore, and I've got over 100 views on the **_**City of Bonds**_** outfit. That's crazy right thurr…**

**ShoutOuts ~**

**Vampire-Princess271995:**** You have no idea how much I want to change your name right now. But thank you. And that is an excellent question that will be answered…**

**Cridge15:**** Dude, you need to go back and read the first Mortal Instrument appearance if you wanna know that.**

**BookNinja15:**** Thanks as always! I'm glad SOMEONE understands my humor (besides Madi *sometimes* and my dog).**

**LoverGurl10621:**** Oh God, you're another weird 'omg-this-username-was-taken-so-I'll-just-add-a-bajillion-numbers' type. That's going to be hella annoying to type. Didn't get most of your comment, but thanks!**

**STOP FOR YOUR OWN BENEFIT.**

**There is a scene in here that is rather graphic, which makes me nervous to bring it out, but at the same time it adds to the plot and also gives you a taste of what Madi goes through each time her 'time' runs out.**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**Possibility**_** ~ Lykke Li**

_**Got Your Back**_** ~ T.I. (Madi and Jace's song)**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**13. Crack a… Carton**

I leaned against one of the trees in the park, watching the snow fall around me in silence. It was weird how there wasn't a sound, especially in Brooklyn even if it was two in the morning. It seemed like for now the world was silent for now, giving me time to think.

The serum plus natural adrenaline was still coursing hard and strong in my veins, but I decided I was going to wait it out. It was going to be hell by the time this stuff had ended, but I was too keyed up on the inside to care.

I could feel my whole body stiff and battered. I'd been thrown around that ball room about six times (not that I was counting). I pinched the bridge of my nose with my thumb and index finger, letting out a sigh that came out as a cloud. What I wouldn't give for something, be it drugs or booze, to take away the hollow feeling that was festering inside of me.

_Belial…_

What the fuck was a Belial, first of all? Second of all, how did that demon relate to my portal jumping? Sure, he'd been there for the beginning, but I'd always regarded him as a means to not an end, but a beginning. That somehow he'd been the link I'd been searching for. I never once thought he could've given me this… Hell, I didn't even think he could talk.

"You look… angry." A warm voice informed me.

I don't really think I could've managed any other emotion, too spent on the rage I'd had for that psycho path creature to feel anything else. I turned around to see Meliorn standing near me, maybe holding off a couple of inches. He was clad in dark blue in some complicated looking clothing I didn't really know what to make of. I watched his pale, angular face gazing directly ahead of him, nowhere else, to show that he'd even spoken.

I stared blankly ahead of me so he was in my peripherals. I snorted and waved my hand dismissively. "When do I not?"

"You have a point there." He noted. "But your angst I would take as the usual Nephelim disposition. Or… Herondale disposition."

I nodded experimentally at that. "True say."

"So you are angry." He left the statement hang, so it turned into a question.

I nodded slightly. "Frustrated, really. There are suddenly a few issues in my life that are… suddenly unresolved."

Meliorn nodded as well. "And these issues –"

"Are personal."

I decided to be the one to slam the book on this conversation, not willing to continue it even for all of the Chinese pot stickers in the world (and believe me, that's saying a lot).

Meliorn looked somewhat affronted, but quickly squared his shoulders and looked down at me, now all business. "The Queen was wondering –"

"There was an attack on the Hotel du Mort this evening." I told him. "Meaning they were after vampires for some reason. They'd taken out all of the leader's guards, which is definitely strange, because it means they were going after him."

"So they are coming after the Seelie Queen." Meliorn said.

"For one reason or another," I nodded him his props, "They're going after all of the leaders of groups. I think I'm going to call the werewolf leader and warn him. In the mean time, I'd suggest keeping the defenses up around the pond. No one can get in unless they're expected, but I want to be sure. I'll continue my patrols, but so far I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary."

"You're hurt." He suddenly piped up.

Come to think of it, I was beginning to take the recognition of my wounds. A persistent sting of a light spray of demon spit on my wrist told me that much. My side where I'd been flung into that pole definitely felt better days. And then there were those cuts I'd gotten from my own swords. Jesus, I klutzed that shit. Or maybe the appropriate term would be I pulled a Bella on that. Because only that accident-prone freak could do something that stupid.

Hey, I'd met her, and she's just as retarded as the book claims.

"Minutely." I shrugged.

"You should… take care of those." He said.

I raised an eyebrow in his direction, then shrugged and focused my attention opposite of him and on the desolate street. "I've had worse."

Or I'm about to have worse. But I guess that could also be classified as 'had worse' because it'd happened to me before… Oh damn, in pain and delirious now. No more deep thinking.

"But still…" He advised. "You should go to your Institute."

"I'm fine, Meliorn." I cracked my knuckles. "Besides, I'm not really in the mood to go back."

"Why? An Institute is home for the Nephilim."

"I'm not like them." I admitted. "Like… at all. They kill because it's part of their Codes or whatever. I kill for fun. They believe they're angel avengers or whatever. I don't have a religion. That's a huge difference unto itself."

"But they're still your kind."

I shook my head and sighed. "No… no they're not."

I lurched up from my leaning against the tree. "I've done the patrol through." I informed him as I started towards the street. A car zoomed past, the only life that'd been there for thirty minutes. "I'll see you."

That was when I used my mystical gene enhancers at their fullest, and started running.

_**.M.I.W.**_

Okay, so showing up at the Institute with a bag filled with ice cream cartons (filled with the select works of Ben and Jerry's), and three movies from the movie rental store, I was ready to fulfill Clary and Isabelle's promise of a girl's night in.

Do not ask me how I got the movies and ice cream when I didn't have any money. I just thought that should be mentioned because it took a lot of work and skill. Because I was invisible with the glamour (which really doesn't make things any easier because people keep running into you) and tripping the alarm in the movie rental place and then the small gas station convenience store with air does strange things to people.

Seriously, the dude working at the gas station suddenly pulled out a cross and started mumbling things in gibberish, and the girl at the movie place had reached for the broom.

I'd say those two would meet on eHarmony, fall in love, and have like… three kids and a dog.

But this is just a guesstimate.

And also the fact that they were both on eHarmony at the same time as I robbed both stores.

Oh, dammit! I wasn't supposed to tell you that!

Eh, oh well. Back to the main plot of this story, before I get sidetracked again.

Except now you're having fantasies about robbing stores! Heh, heh, heh… I could be the next Eminem with my oh-so positive views and actions upon life.

God, okay, back to the plot!

I left the ice cream in the freezer and stacked up the movies on the TV in the living room as I started to make my way to Clary's room.

I paused when I was at her door, feeling all of my strength I'd had a few hours before drain from me, leaving me feeling sick. Dammit.

I let out a deep breath and twisted the doorknob and pushed the door in, raising an eyebrow when light spilled into the dark hallway from her room. I looked inside to see her drawing (none too surprisingly).

"_Psssssssst_!" I called, which made her jump.

She whirled around to face me, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. "Madi, what –"

"Don't ask, just do." I grinned against the nausea rolling in my stomach. "Come on, I've got the stuff. Go get Isabelle and meet up in the living room."

She crawled off the bed and walked towards me, pausing before she walked past me. "What about you?" She frowned.

I forced another smile, feeling a cold sweat breaking on my forehead. "I'll be there in a minute. I just… have to change."

She nodded and walked away, casting me a wary glance over her shoulder until she disappeared down another corridor.

I already started booking it to the closest bathroom and threw open the door as I whirled around it, and pretty much slammed it shut. At that point, I'd barely made it to the toilet on time before I started puking up my guts.

God, it always felt horrible. The metallic, burning taste made me grimace and the sight made me gag, which ensued the horrible process all over again.

After about the fifth time of heaving up blood and bile, my legs started shaking, and I could barely feel anything. I was shaking, I felt cold (which is usually what happens when I lost blood like this), and sweaty.

"Disgusting." I muttered, breathing in some of the wretched odor, and making my stomach churn and spill its contents again. I coughed, blood splattering my lips and quickly rubbed my hand across them so I wouldn't have to taste it later.

My gear was suddenly uncomfortable and hanging limply off of me. I felt a hundred pounds heavier.

"Oh my God." A deep voice breathed.

A wave of terror washed through me. I clutched the rim of the seat tightly, squeezing my eyes tightly as I fought through another bout of nausea.

"Madi, what –"

"Get out!" I snapped, glaring up at a dumbstruck Jace. "Get out _now_!"

He instead came behind me, pulling my hair back just as I threw up again. Okay, maybe I was a _little_ grateful he was here.

"Madi, what's going on? Were you poisoned?"

I shook my head, blinking slowly as I stared blankly into the contents I'd just thrown up, my body trembling. I needed to recuperate. I needed to be able to breathe right. I just needed to do everything first. After what always seemed like forever, I closed the lid of the toilet, and flushed it. I dropped my crouch, and slumped against the wall. Jace helped cushion my fall as best he could.

"Madi," Jace squatted in front of me, making my eyes train on his. "Please, you've got to –"

"Hold. _On_." I rasped, the back of my mind growing more and more frustrated at his incessant demands.

Finally, I gained a little bit more strength, and staggered to a standing position. Jace hovered behind me nervously as I held my hair back with one hand while with the other I turned on the cold water. I stuck my face under the faucet and rinsed it, while also washing my mouth out. I leaned back and reached blindly for the towel, which I felt along with his fingers.

"Thanks." I breathed as I pulled it back and rubbed the soft crimson material against my face. When I was dry, a little less shaky, I put down the towel on the counter and looked up at him.

He didn't say anything, but I knew he was definitely not doing so because he thought he was going to lose. His gaze was piercing and nervous at the same time, and I could see his worry and need to know.

"How do you think I'm able to keep up with you when you run?" I decided to ask. "Jump as high as you? Fight as hard and as strongly as you?"

His face didn't change expression, eyes searching mine for the answer.

"I…" I took in a small breath and stared at his bare feet, leaning against the sink's counter. "I have a condition. It's a gene enhancer, a lot like the ones you have – and don't deny them because I read about you, remember? – except I wasn't given them at birth. But, like you I wasn't exactly a willing test subject.

"I was on a mission in another dimension at the time. I was in a world where there were scientists that experimented… there were mutated children. In his dimension, the children I sought out had wings. In my worlds, I'm given the things I need. In that world, I had wings and a little help from a girl from my dimension. She and I were leaders of the birdkids, as they're called. I was rescuing one of them from a scientist, but his thugs – quite surprisingly – got the best of me."

He frowned.

I shrugged. "Of course, I didn't tell this creeper scientist that I was not his average case, and he assumed I was one of the birdkids. So, he put some gene enhancer in me that makes me do some of the same stuff as you can. Except for the jumping, but I'm not exactly sure. I'm too nervous to try it.

"Anyways, when this serum stuff – Well, when I get a little too… over the top, the serum gets out of control in my system. The natural adrenaline and serum mixes in me and makes me even stronger. It wasn't administered properly or something. But when it finally wears off my body wants to reject it, and so it leads to…" I gestured to the toilet, "that."

He still continued to watch me, so many emotions running through his eyes. I shrugged under his gaze. "Same me." I attempted humor. "Just a few more perks thrown into the mix."

"Why do you keep coming home late?" He switched topics.

I instantly got my guard on. Because there was no chance in hell I was going to tell him anything about _that_.

"Clary and Isabelle are waiting for me." I informed him as I opened the door, too fast for him to even try and close it. "It's a girl's night in, hosted by yours truly. I've got to change. They're probably wondering where I am."

_**.M.I.W.**_

Isabelle and Clary had sandwiched me as we were in the final ten minutes of _Paranormal Activity 2_. Isabelle's well manicured nails dug into my arm, while Clary was getting ready to hide her face in the huge pillow I was suffocating with my bandaged forearms.

My eyes widened as night hit again (why the hell was it always night when the stupid thing 'struck'?), and my shorter nails dug into the pillow. A gallon carton of ice cream was half melting on the table in front of us that was littered with popcorn and magazines half open.

As soon as one of the creepy banging noises started, I released the pillow, which left Clary to snatch it, and I dove for the ice cream carton. I pulled it back protectively and cradled it against my chest.

"Leave it to Madi to save the ice cream when a demon is attacking." Isabelle snorted, trying to downplay that slightly intense situation.

Clary laughed at it, and I shrugged nonchalantly in response as I grabbed my spoon inside of it as I started eating, trying to ignore my pounding heart. Isabelle seemed to have the same idea, and took her spoon as she shoveled a large scoop into her mouth.

Our humor was short lived as another creepy noise started. Clary joined me and Isabelle in the middle of the couch, and we watched in awe as another sinister moment unfolded.

Suddenly, as the characters ran down to the basement, and the attack on the dad abruptly started, I yelped half a second later, and shoved the carton of ice cream into Clary's stomach so I could hide my face in the nearest arm. I didn't care if this was my second time seeing the movie. It was just as intense, and would probably make me paranoid for the rest of the night. Isabelle had my same sentiments, and her nails dug into my arm constrictively. I had a feeling they were drawing blood.

When the movie finally ended (with the part I saw in theaters because we couldn't get the scary part because Church stole the remote a week ago), I snorted at its final scene, Isabelle chortled, and Clary giggled.

"What an ending." Isabelle rolled her eyes as she got up and flipped on the lights. "I'm in awe. Completely."

"I'm annoyed we couldn't see the creepier one." I said. "I laughed at the end the first time."

"Oh well, maybe you can persuade Church to give us the remote." Isabelle sighed. "He likes you better."

I shrugged, taking in another spoonful of ice cream as Clary did the same. "I'll see what I can do… later."

Isabelle rolled her eyes. "Lazy."

"Mmhm…" I nodded as I shoveled in another scoop.

The real reason why I didn't want to get up was because I would probably fall down as soon as I attempted it. It'd pretty much taken all effort for me to change into my pajamas and go downstairs. I'd been stuffing any sugar and salt I could get in my system that would hopefully help with giving me _some_ form of energy.

So far I was only regretting my skin condition in the morning.

"I think I'm going to the bathroom." Clary suggested as she stood up. She looked around the room nervously as she did so, as if she wasn't really sure.

I laughed. "Need someone to go with you? I think the weapon's room is on the way. We could stop there."

"No, I think I can manage." She rolled her eyes and she walked out of the room.

Isabelle and I watched her until she disappeared into the darkness, and Isabelle turned her attention to me. My eyes met hers evenly, and we stared at each other. It seemed like she was sizing me up in her own way, and I could almost feel like a whole world of conversation and understanding had passed between us. We both felt bad for Clary, and in turn for Jace, and worried about the sudden (on the Lightwood's side, anyways) demons killing leaders of the Night Children.

"What _has_ happened to Simon?" I finally broke the silence.

She suddenly jutted her chin out stubbornly, a defiant fire in her eyes as she glared at the wall off to the side. "He's just an ass."

I retracted maybe an inch at that, furrowing my eyebrows in confusion. "Simon? The wimpy little vampire I met last time I was here? An ass?" I snorted. "Right."

"It's true!" She snapped indignantly. "He won't let down that werewolf and go out with me. He doesn't spend time with me. I broke it off."

I nodded experimentally. "That makes sense."

"Doesn't it?" She demanded. "It's so stupid."

"Most definitely." I agreed amiably. "He should be crawling at your feet. Just because he's a vampire – a daylighter, no more – and has to go to Alincante a lot of the time since he's the vampire's ambassador as well as keep up with his school work doesn't mean he shouldn't be able to fit you into his schedule. As for Maia, that skank, she's probably his friend and trying to weasel inside of his room and heart just for his video games."

Isabelle's eyes widened slightly.

"By the _Angel_!" I smacked my forehead with the hell of my hand. "Why didn't he see it before? He should know she can't hold a candle to you! But maybe he does, and he realizes he's –"

"Okay, okay!" She waved her hand for me to stop, resting her elbows on her knees as she messaged her temples. She let out a loud sigh. "God, I'm such an idiot."

"Yes, yes you are." I affirmed without any remorse whatsoever. "I suggest we call him. We can go to the Pandemonium."

Slowly, I began to realize the epicalness of my plan, and leapt up.

"_Yes_!" I cried, pumping a fist. "You, me, and Clary are going to look completely fresh. We'll wake up Jace and Alec, and we will all go to the Pandemonium _tonight_!"

Isabelle slowly stood up beside me, and I realize that my head actually came to the height of her collarbone. "Er… Right now?" She asked.

"There is no better time like the present." I stated most matter-of-factly. "Are you in?"

A slow smile made its way to her features until it was a full out grin. "I have a few dresses –"

"And we're off!" I cried, leaping over the back of the couch as Isabelle and I sprinted for her room.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**Okay, yes, in case you were wondering, I **_**was**_** listening to Eminem's 'Just Lose It' while I wrote the part about Madi robbing the convenience store.**


	14. Warnings

**WAIT…**

**So… I just recently checked my comments, and I realize I have a bunch. Wow. You guys are seriously insane for coming out of the woodwork. Insane in a good way! Much appreciation! I bow to you all!**

**Also, I realize that as I'm writing the books, Madi is slowly growing into her own character. That's why I say 'Madi does this' now because I don't really identify myself with her like I did at the beginning. *sniff* She's growing up!**

**ShoutOuts ~**

**Cridge15:**** I saw your comment a tad late on the first Mortal Instrument appearance, I'm afraid. So I'm sorry if I've offended you. I'm truly happy to be able to entertain you.**

**BookNinja15:**** Omg, since I've checked these comments, I realize you've been around! God, sorry I never got back to you fast enough. But I'm so glad I can make you happy.**

**Crazy4MadHatter:**** Hey, thanks! Your comment was really nice. XOXO!**

**LoverGurl10621:**** *phew* Ha ha, thanks!**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**Feel Good Inc. **_**~ Gorillaz**

_**Six Foot Seven Foot**_** ~ Lil' Wayne**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**14. Warnings**

I had just finished slipping on the small black heels Isabelle had bought Clary a while back. I straightened up and smoothed out the simple blue dress Isabelle had let me borrow, as well as the black fedora. Oh yeah, my party outfits were pretty badass.

"How's it going in there?" I called, glancing back at the closed bathroom door where Isabelle had cornered Clary into giving her a makeover.

Yes, in case you were wondering, she taught me how to use that retarded Smokey Eye Stick or whatever, so my eyes looked bigger and bluer than normal.

"Good, good!" Isabelle replied a few moments later.

I decided that it was going to take Isabelle a long time to fix Clary up. Even though I wasn't _completely_ hopeless when it came to makeup, I was still… not good. When I was younger, I wasn't ever focused on that sort of thing. I was riding bikes and doing stupid stuff.

… Kind of like now, being a portal hopping mercenary. A Rogue.

I walked out of Isabelle's room and into the kitchen where Jace and Alec were waiting. Jace looked like Jace. Awake, alert, and excited only dressed in better clothes. Alec looked like a comatose zombie about to stab the first person that touched him.

"I am the most amazing person to ever walk the face of the earth with this brilliant idea." I announced as I walked into the kitchen. "You all should be absolutely thrilled to be in my presence."

Alec snorted and grunted something that sounded sarcastic.

"Did you call Magnus?" I asked him.

He grumbled again and gave a short nod, rubbing his tired eyes.

"This was an interesting idea." Jace noted as he let out a loud yawn, "Though I don't understand why you couldn't wait until tomorrow night."

"Because I was just that bored." I replied, and smiled as Isabelle pretty much glided (that does make sense, right?) into the room.

She, as always, looked fantastic. She wore a scarlet red dress with the same colored heels. Was it weird to say she looked like the thinner, taller, Brooklyn version of Snooki off of _Jersey Shore_ with the poof she was styling? Or a long lost member of the Kardashian family?

And when did I get so into using pop culture references?

I hate life.

Then, Clary came in, and I looked at Jace to see his eyes widen slightly, and swallow. Clary was wearing a short, basic silver dress with silver bangles and heels. Her hair was styled in fire red ringlets that went to her shoulders.

Isabelle grinned at Jace's reaction, and I raised an eyebrow as Clary stood nearer to him. They both shared a look that spoke volumes even to the third person observer. I rolled my eyes in boredom. Okay, something had _definitely_ happened.

"If we're ready?" I sighed loudly, grabbing Isabelle's arm as I made my way to the elevator.

"Do you think –?" Isabelle asked excitedly as she pressed the button on the elevator.

I folded my arms across my chest as we listened to the elevator rise to our floor and snorted. "Obviously. Nice outfit, by the way. I approve."

"Thanks." She smiled, and finally the doors opened.

Alec had followed us in soon after, leaving Jace and Clary to follow. I could feel my eyebrows pinching together in the confusion of Jace walking in with an arrogant set, but his eyes were hallow, and Clary at the end, looking paler than normal.

That was weird.

_**.M.I.W.**_

The club was on fire as we walked through the front entrance of the club. I smiled as the bass thumped loudly so you could barely hear the music. Kids were all over each other, dancing like they thought they were twenty one.

I couldn't help but yawn. I'd been up for quite a while now, but I didn't really think I'd be able to sleep when I came up with this 'absolutely brilliant' idea.

I think it was Sean Kingston playing at the time as we walked in, all of us heading straight for the bar.

"Simon!" Isabelle crowed as she ran to where the vampire was sitting, who smiled and hugged her in return as she smothered him.

He looked over Isabelle's shoulder and smiled at her. "Hey, Madi."

"Hey, Simon." I smiled as I leaned against the bar. "How's the band?"

"I don't spend that much time with them anymore." Simon shrugged as he gently pried Isabelle off of him, and let her sit on the stool beside him. "I've been busy. I think they got a new manager."

I frowned. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged offhandedly. "No big deal. I was going to quit anyway."

The song switched to _What Is It_ by Baby Bash, and I smiled longingly out to the dance floor. Mainly because this was, in fact, my jam.

"I think we should go –"

But Isabelle had already taken off to the dance floor, my arm in tow while the rest of me had to stumble to keep up.

When we'd found a place on the floor, Isabelle had taken full force of the situation, and I was left to keep up and dance with her.

And then the pivotal moment of the song came, and I was already bucking at the chance to get back into the practice of popping and locking it. Lame names for the moves, but I was killing it, to say in the least. It had attracted some attention, at most, because I was either a total failure (which I doubted to the nines) or I was just that awesome.

And this was before I even had a drink in my system.

…

Just kidding little goody goodies out there. I don't drink. Geez, I really need to learn how to use that mental filtration system for this kind of stuff.

_**.M.I.W.**_

Shirley Temples.

They're one of the most obnoxiously sweet drinks in the universe.

At that point I was beginning to wonder if I could find a less feminine drink that still had that feminine… ness. After the first sip, I wanted to spit out whatever My Little Pony, Barbie, pink, demonic force had taken residence in my mouth and coated my taste buds.

I set down the glass and blinked slowly. "Good God." I breathed, pushing the glass away. I snapped my fingers sharply, effectively catching the bar tender's attention, and he walked over to me with a disgruntled look on his face.

He was obviously demonic, and had pretty much been hiding from me and the Shadowhunters ever since we'd walked in. He wasn't high level, even I could know that. His skin, through the glamour, was lime green; he had snow white hair, and small horns extending from the top of his head. Clary gasped from beside me, obviously noticing what this guy was.

"Dude, are you serious?" I glared at him, leaning across the counter so I could better see him. I pushed the drink further to him. "I know this has got to be an adult's club at some points. You _must_ have actual booze."

He stared at me, bright blue eyes gazing over me carefully.

I smiled sweetly. "A Manhattan… on the rocks?"

He still regarded me. Then, finally, seeming to come to a conclusion, he snorted. "You're a minor. I don't have to serve you even if you're Nephilim."

I rolled my eyes in response, and then decided to go from nice to… slightly demanding. "Who_ever_ said I was a Nephilim?"

He looked taken aback.

I leaned across the counter, continuing the gaze that I was sure was sending chills down his spine. I'd never focused my maliciousness so acutely into one look. And I had to say, it was working, because Demon Tender was looking more and more creeped out.

"And not being Nephilim, nothing would make me more amused than to rip you limb from limb in this bar." When he still didn't get the message, I narrowed my eyes at him, grinding my teeth together in frustration. "Right. Now."

He still looked baffled. "Your Codes –"

"I have no Codes." I snarled. "So give me a damn Manhattan on the rocks. _Now_!"

In a matter of five seconds, there was a Manhattan on the rocks sitting in front of me, and looking almost too appetizing. The bar tender dropped a maraschino cherry into the mix, ending with a _plop_.

I smiled at him, watching him leave faster than he approached.

"What do you mean _you have no Codes_?" Clary demanded. "Jace told me that all the Nephilim have Codes. You shouldn't even say that!"

I looked at her out of the corner of my eye, seeing her large green eyes burn in indignation. I continued to look at her, thinking about what exactly to say. I pursed my lips as I took the glass in my hand, ice cold to the touch.

"Just a fear mechanism." I said coolly. "It helps me get what I need."

"Or want?" She demanded.

I finally took the guts and took a sip of the Manhattan. It pretty much sent a shockwave through my system at the bitterness, and I blinked as I forced the burning liquid down my throat. "Need." I corrected her, stifling a cough. Whoa. That was amazing. It tasted like my life!

"You're… not a Nephelim, are you?" She asked slowly.

I gave her a slow look, and took another small sip. "Talk to Jace, and Jace only." I choked out as I set the glass down.

Clary averted her gaze almost immediately, resting her head on her hand, and her elbow on the table.

This instantly piqued my interest, and I turned to face her. I swayed as the room suddenly became dizzy. "Oh, something's happened that I don't know about. Did you two have to deal with sexual tension?"

Her cheeks slowly grew scarlet, making me smile even wider. For some strange reason, I felt the whole world was suddenly more comical than it had been ten minutes. "God, I do love being apart of a good novel. I wonder if I'm in a new one that hasn't been published yet –"

"_What?_" Clary shrieked, and I froze.

What? Wait. What the fu –

"Oh crap." I realized, looking at the first empty glass, and the second half empty one. The cherries rested neatly on top of the ice. Wasn't that ironic? Oh, irony, it was hilarious, the perfect writer's tool –

I suddenly laughed, officially ruining my train of thought, which made me laugh even harder. I lifted up my glass and smiled at her. "Do you realize how awesome this thing is?"

She didn't say anything, still looking shocked. I giggled at her expression.

"Like, _a lot_!" I informed her. "It's _a lot_ awesome!"

"Madi…" Clary said, her voice suddenly lower and more… supporting? That's weird. "I think you're kind of –"

"Madi."

I spun around sharply at the low voice that had called my name. "_Yo_?" I replied, and smiled at the spinning room. "This is so _trippy_!"

My eyes slowly began to fix on the black haired guy looking at me with serious dark eyes that looked slightly confused. I snorted and pulled back, making me sway once again. I widened my eyes as I saw the floor come closer and closer to my face, but a hand shot out in front of my vision and pushed me upright. I wobbled slightly, and looked up at the guy again. "Hey, thanks." I smiled brightly up at him.

That's when I realized who the guy was. He was wearing a dark purple shirt, which made him look surprisingly sexy, with dark wash jeans, and black shoes. It was a huge difference between his Faery garb.

"Meliorn!" I smiled, giving him a light punch on the shoulder, which seemed like a slow motion punch. "What are you doing here? You look _nice_!"

"You're drunk." Meliorn stated impassively.

"_Chyeah_!" I replied without even thinking. I quickly turned around and grabbed the half empty Manhattan and thrust it into his direction. "This stuff is _intense_! You should try it!"

Meliorn regarded the glass for a moment, then put his hand on my wrist, and guided my arm back to the counter so I could set the drink down. The move was surprisingly gentle, tentative almost. My smile faded slightly when I felt butterflies flutter in my stomach.

"I'm fine." He said, pulling my attention back to him. "We need to talk."

A familiar song suddenly blasted through the speakers, making me smile at him. "_No_…" I said as I stood up, grabbing his hand as our bodies were only inches apart. "Excuse my charisma." I informed him, and pulled him out to the dance floor.

At that exact moment as the song had started, I realized that I never really had a chance to be a normal kid. I knew for a fact that even though I was a junior, I hadn't paid dues, so I wouldn't be able to go to my high school prom. I wanted to dance. That was logical, right?

Lil' Wayne attacked the song like a knife with a jagged blade, and I tugged Meliorn into me.

Oh geez, hell yes I was drunk. There was no way in hell I'd ever have this much guts to do this in real life. The real Madi, buried deep in my subconscious, was chillin' in an empty theater sitting in the back row, watching what was happening, while eating a huge bowl of popcorn. At least that's what it felt like.

"You know how to dance, right?" I asked, sounding a little more cockier than normal.

He frowned. "I don't think we should do this –"

"Please, Meliorn?" I whined against all better judgment. "I _love_ this song. After this we can do whatever you want."

Meliorn didn't even dignify it with a response, and started to dance, pulling my body closer to his, and leading me confidently. His hands rested on my hips, my hands on his shoulders. I raised my eyebrows up at him in response, and laughed.

Now, as most of you – as in the majority of the planet – I'm more of a solo dancer. I'm all into showcasing that skill of looking so legitimate and not needing duet. But, I'll admit, I think I was changing my mind. Because dancing with Meliorn was just that fantastic.

I pulled myself closer to him, and felt him wrap an arm around my waist to hold me flush against him. It was about that time that I realized he was a head taller than me, which was the perfect height. I didn't know why it was perfect, but it was just the first thought that came to mind.

As the song slowly ended, I couldn't help but sigh loudly in frustration. Seriously, I couldn't help it. The room was spinning like carousel on steroids, and I felt like I should be in the mood to do something crazy. The only thing holding me back was Meliorn's hold on my waist.

"Come on." His dark voice whispered in my ear. Oh geez, how retardedly romantic was that? Ugh. I hate my life even more now!

And, like all of those retardedly written clichés (and I'll admit, I've written some of them), I held back a shudder. But not poorly, because I was a beast. Meanwhile, I believe my inner (real) Madi was gripping the rims of her popcorn bowl, one eyebrow arched, and giving the most animated confused/accusing look in the universe.

Without even responding, Meliorn had already grabbed my wrist, and pulled me through the crowd. I giggled (oh my God, send me to _Candy Land_ now) hysterically as we pushed through the people, and finally out of the sweaty mass of teenagers. A small corner of the back of my mind was trying to figure this all out, while ninety-nine percent of my brain was happy to be cruising along without a second thought.

With his other hand, he took the handle of the door leading to an emergency exit, and looked around carefully. I was about to ask what he was doing, until he thrust open the door, and pulled me along after him. I let out a halfhearted yelp, and spun around, and stumbled, to see Meliorn close the door.

We were standing in an alley. I could still hear and feel the music pumping through the alleyway.

"Uh…" I said as I stood a little straighter, still seeing the world sway. I blinked as I tried to focus on Meliorn. The real Madi was forcing herself back in control, kicking in some logic, which felt weird. "What're ya doin'?"

"Madi, I understand that –"

"Actually… ya don't." I said, holding my hand up to my face, and resting my index finger on my lower lip. "I mean, this is fun and all – I'm doin' stuff I never really could'uv done – but I'm… sad."

I looked at him across from the room, the room spinning slowly and frustratingly.

"I want to focus." I said, squinting.

"You're drunk." He stated again. "It's difficult to."

I took a step back as I suddenly lost balance. "Oh."

"Why are you sad?" Meliorn asked.

I shrugged offhandedly, turning around and almost walking into the brick. I succeeded only slightly, and pulled back. I reached out and slowly put a hand on the cool wall. "Does it matter?" I answered with a question.

I turned, and focused on Meliorn. I suddenly walked forward. The realistic and non-drunk Madi suddenly punched a hole through her popcorn tub, glaring at the movie screen. I stopped until I was probably a millimeter away from him, staring up into his dark eyes. "You make me feel better, though. Even though you're kind of a jerk."

His eyes widened a fraction, "Madi, wait –"

"Can I kiss you?"

_WHAT THE FUCKING HELL? _Sober Madi had leapt up from her seat, curling her fists in the popcorn tub.

He froze. He didn't move closer, but he didn't move away either. His gaze seemed to burn a hole through me. "I don't think it's such a good idea –"

"I do." I said, and suddenly stood on the tips of my toes, and crushed my lips to his.

Well, in all actuality, it was probably the side of his mouth, because I wasn't exactly aiming. I held the side of his face, finally angling my face so I could appropriately suck his face off.

_OH MY GOD, YOU DID!_ Sober Madi shrieked in the back of my mind, but I was too busy to care about my stupid subconscious that had decided to take a vacation. She was probably swinging her fists at Meliorn's face and doing some fantastic moves the Mr. Miyagi would want to Patton.

After a few seconds, Meliorn slowly melted. It was amazing. His warmth flew into me as he wrapped one arm around my waist, and fisted on in my hair as he pulled me closer. I ran one of my hands through his silky black hair.

Electricity. Yeah, that's right, actual electricity connected at all of my nerves and made me feel like one solid livewire. It was probably the best feeling in the universe that made my whole body come to life.

Suddenly, I could hear two hands rapping together, making a loud popping noise echo around the alley.

Meliorn pulled away first, pulling me behind him slightly. I blinked and looked around his shoulder to see a tall, brown haired guy with black eyes at the end of the alley.

"Madi Verdantia." He said as if he approved something, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "I must admit, when I was told about you, I didn't imagine you like this."

Meliorn tightened his grip around me, and I continued to stare obliviously at the guy in front of us. "Uh… do I know you?"

"No, unfortunately not." He smiled.

"Okay, so I take it you're a stalker. As flattering as that… kind of is and kind of isn't, I'm busy." I gestured to Meliorn, "Hot guy," I gestured to my dress, "Party attire?" as if on cue, I swayed, "Intoxicated? Obviously speaks volumes to the mere passer byer."

Dude, stoner side says _niiiiiiice_.

The man narrowed his eyes a fraction. "You wouldn't be this way for long if you knew what was coming."

"Uh hum…" I nodded. "Well, when you decide to quit being oracle of mysticalness, you may actually get a girlfriend."

Apparently he didn't catch my sense of humor, and I saw his jaw tense. Then, all emotion passed from his face, and he nodded. "Very well then, Master Morgenstern gives his regards."

"I'm sure he do… Wait, what – ?"

But before I could even get the rest of my question out, Weird Guy stepped into a purple portal, and was gone.

Then I threw up.

_**.M.I.W.**_

…

**:D**

**The party outfit is already on Polyvore. Go crazy.**** close we are out of 10 :since you said it first 5. lol**


	15. Bridge Burner

**Holy shimolianus. After one day of having the story posted, I check back the next day and there are four new comments. You guys are the bee's knees, legs, and elbows. Hell, you're an entire bee!**

**Seriously, though, a lot of people say this and it sounds stupid and like it's bull shit, but you guys are seriously awesome. You make this little endeavor all the more interesting, and it's for all of you that I show you my music, my crazy characters, and my ideas.**

**So… thanks. Really. I wish I could see you all in person and talk to you each individually and flaunt my undying gratitude.**

**ALSO! I just realized that I don't know how to spell 'Faerie'. I keep spelling it 'Faery' or something retarded. Keep that in mind, and I'm sorry lol.**

**ShoutOuts ~**

**self-pRocLaimEd-Band-nErd:**** First of all, I hate your name because I have to type it out. Second of all, thanks for your comment!**

**LoverGurl10621:**** I have a newfound happiness that your name isn't that person's ^. I'll look up your stories after I post this chapter.**

**BookNinja15:**** You're just a beast. I swear, you're like a fluffy little animal that sits on my shoulder and whispers nice things in my ear. YOU'RE A FLUFFY BEAST!**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**The Real Slim Shady**_** ~ Eminem**

_**The Violet Hour**_** ~ Sea Wolf**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**15. Bridge Burner**

"_Please!" A voice cried, making me spin around._

_I was in total darkness, not even seeing myself. But at the same time, it was like I knew what was going on. I knew the entire scene and I felt the adrenaline like I was in a fight._

"_I'm coming!" I yelled. _

_Suddenly, I could see the black, blank canvas slowly turn into a yellowish orange haze. The loud, shrill sounds of feral battle cries made the hairs on my neck stand on end, the sounds of war all around me. I spun around to see who the hell was fighting, but saw nothing._

"_Sparrowfire!"_

_**.M.I.W.**_

Cold air whipped past me relentlessly, and I sighed slightly. I looked down at the ground far below, cars looking like toys, and people barely existent.

Do _not_ ask me how I was sitting on the very, very top of the Institute, only relish in the fact that I was there, and getting over a minutely annoying hangover. I mean, I know I only had two glasses, but a drink with seventy-five percent straight up whisky seems to pack one hell of a punch.

I sighed as I continued to stare out at the cloudy day, wearing nothing but a hoodie with the hood up, skinny jeans, and an iPod whose earphones were blasting the sweet nectar which was heavy, dark rap into my ears.

Before you ask, I only remember two things from last night:

1.) There was a creepy dude who looked like a demon who had attempted to tell me the future

2.) I kissed Meliorn

I think that those two issues could be thrown on the backburner for a little while.

My whole body was quivering from the cold, but I didn't really want to do much about it. I mean, yes, I suppose I could scale back down to the open hallway window, but my laying across the back of the cold stone gargoyle was just too comfortable.

I decided that today I should go to the library and research whatever a Belial was (because that'd also been another small issue), and get some answers there, as well as portal hopping demons. Maybe Jace would help me because he was rather knowledgeable in that field.

This supposed Greater Demon Situation (as it'd been labeled) was now the most important thing on my mind, because I had the whole issue with helping Clary established, and I asked Simon to talk to Luke about watching his back while I was at the club.

Oh yeah, I multitask.

Then, there was Meliorn. Yup, we were probably never going to talk again, which was fine by me. I had too much to do in this novel, the last thing I needed was to party around like that. But at the same time, I was tempted to go to Turtle Pond and wait like a total creeper until I saw him, and then kiss him again. From what I remembered, it was fantastic.

"Oh, what do you think?" I asked as I looked down at the upside down gargoyle.

He merely glared at me with a hellish face and teeth bared to show off wicked fangs.

I sighed in response and rested my chin in my hands while my elbows rested on the gargoyle's head. "You're right. I've screwed things up enough already. I guess I'll just not deal with it. Ignoring him's the key. He'll get the message. He's not stupid."

So that was decided.

And left me feeling worse than ever.

_**.M.I.W.**_

I'd been through book after book, nothing really containing anything about a Belial. I frowned as I dropped another huge book on the table and opened it slowly. A book on Greater Demons would probably help me solve something. I stood up as I looked through page after page, and realized that I was attaining quite the collection and book mountain.

I switched the song on my iPod so it played _That Tree_ by Snoop Dogg, featuring Kid Cudi as I continued to search. I flicked through the pages of a book, sighing as I went to the W's, for 'winged bat-like demon-beast'. It seemed intelligent at the time.

"Okay, okay," I frowned as I flipped through the end of the winged demons, slowly becoming more and more bored of the topic. "Let's look up this mysterious Belial."

And when I flipped back to the B's, I got the start of my life.

To the point where I actually yelped and stumbled backwards.

Because a Belial is not a what. It was a _who_.

You know, my life was never really this dramatic.

I let out a slow breath, and focused further on the Batman that _was_ Belial. I narrowed my eyes at the drawn depiction of him, and I realized that it gave the real deal _too_ much justice. If I would've had another encounter with him, I would've said that to his face. My eyes flickered to the text beside him, but I just couldn't get over the _him_ness in the picture. It was time to figure this dude out.

Turns out that Belial was one of the most 'venerable' demons this Satan character had to throw at middle earth. "And what the hell does 'venerable' mean?" I asked myself, but continued to read.

Okay, so he was the leader of pretty much every single force of evil out there. Yeah, that was awesome. Interesting how I always attract the wrong type of people. From pot smokers to prostitutes, now to evil demon lords. I could throw one wild party.

Belial was the demon of lies and deceit, apparently considered the equal of Mr. Hell himself. A demon of 'lawlessness'.

And that was pretty much it, save for all of the Biblical references that I really couldn't take time to read over and decipher.

"Huh." I noted as I sat back in my chair, staring at the open book.

"You look white as a ghost." A deep voice suddenly informed me, and I turned to face Alec, who was walking through the doors of the library. He smiled politely at me.

I paused my iPod and turned it off, frowning. I then shook my head, trying to get rid of Belial's image engraved in my mind, flipping my bangs so they hung over my eyes again and closed the book. I shrugged and rubbed my eyes. "Morning, Al."

"Good morning." He smiled as he sat across from me. "I'm surprised you're even awake. The way you were going off last night –"

"What?" I demanded, my eyes widening.

"Kidding, kidding." Alec amended. "Actually, I'm supposed to give you a message."

I furrowed my eyebrows and cocked my head to the side. "What kind of message?"

The joking demeanor kind of died after that in Alec's bright blue eyes, and he was all business once again. "From a Faerie knight. He said that you should contact him as soon as possible."

"_Ugh_…" I groaned. I tangled my fingers in my hair and rested my elbows on my knees. "This is going to be hell."

"In a hand basket." Alec agreed calmly. "What is it with that guy anyway? How do you know him?"

"Oh…" I stalled, trying to come up with a half decent lie to get me through a response. "We've had to cross paths several times. He's just a friend – an acquaintance, really."

_Yeah, an acquaintance that you _totally_ made out with._ I couldn't help but rebuke myself. At least, I didn't think we made out. Oh God, the horrors of one and a half Manhattans on the rocks! Not that I was going to necessarily complain. The buzz had been worth not remembering at least half of it.

"I see…" Alec said, and I frowned. He didn't believe me at all. Skepticism was written all over his face, his neck, and probably tattooed on the rest of his body. All of this was said in huge, capital, bold black letters: **I DON'T BELIEVE YOU, MADI! YOU FAIL AT **_**LIFE**_**!**

And that is the first _and_ last time that I will ever use bolded text in a story.

"Yeah…" I said, leaning back in my chair. "I'm full of it, I know."

Alec shrugged. "I wouldn't put it in those words, necessarily, but yes, I agree."

"Am I that obvious?" I smiled.

"No, but Jace is my parabati. I'm artfully trained in the skill of telling truth from fiction."

My eyebrows raised at that. "Oh really now?"

"Yes." He nodded. "And you're my cousin."

"How does any of this make me your cousin?" I asked, slightly baffled and amazed that I was suddenly an honorary Lightwood.

"Well, you're Jace's cousin, and Jace is my brother. So, you're my cousin."

"True say, Mister Lightwood." I nodded amiably. "True say."

"You act like Jace, though, which makes you much easier to read than most. To me, anyway."

"Pre or post Clary, I wonder."

"Pre." Alec stated.

"Awesome." I smiled. "I still have his childish angst and conceit. This is something to celebrate!"

"We already celebrated last night." Alec advised, "I think one drunken spell is enough for the week."

"Another true say, dear cousin-slash-conscience, a.k.a. let down." I agreed. "But this is for the average human being, and _not_ for Madi Verdantia."

It was then that he noticed my collection of books on the table, and looked over the titles. "Researching greater demons for any reason?"

"Just for my own self-gratification." I shrugged. "It seemed like something to do at the time."

Alec nodded again, and our conversation sort of ended there.

That was, until, I remembered Prophecy Dude.

I stood up took out my iPod earbuds, handing the whole device to Alec. He took it and started putting in the buds, looking up at me questioningly.

"I'm going out for a walk." I informed him as I walked towards the doors. "See if I can take down a few demons along the way."

"Use you glamour." He called half-heartedly.

"Yes, Mom." I returned as I sauntered out of the library, and to my room where my new gear and swords were kept.

_**.M.I.W.**_

So, here I was, once again running through New York without much thought except for maybe finding the chance to find Prophecy Dude.

I'd covered any alleyway that seemed to have a speck of life in them, only coming across homeless people or the off chance of seeing a low level demon. If they were the latter, they were usually too harmless and not even worth killing.

How does one even go about calling a demon to them? It must not be so difficult. This didn't mean that I was going to invest in a wigi board and start calling up any demon I could find, so I really had no way of contacting him.

Stupid elusive demons. Why don't they give out business cards? It would make my work so much more efficient. I would ask about that as soon as I got the chance. It's about time evil started becoming modern.

I traced the outer limits of the Fae park for a quick patrol, somewhat hoping Prophecy Dude would be skulking about. Unfortunately, he wasn't there either.

After about two hours of this screwing around, I was getting irritated. I ducked into the nearest alleyway and leaned against the brick, glaring ahead of me.

"I know you're following me." I said to everyone in general. "So why don't we just skip the creepy montage that's going on and you can just arrive, appear, fizzle in, portalize yourself here, do something."

And it was like magic.

There was Prophecy Dude, walking into the alleyway and leaning on the wall across from me. "So you've heeded my warning." He nodded. "My master knew he wasn't making a mistake in contacting you."

"And why on earth would anyone consider anything a mistake when I'm involved?" I asked innocently. "Now, we'll start the questions off easy. What's your name?"

Prophecy Dude shrugged, his weird wholly black eyes glinting as he looked at me with a predatory focus. "My master says we are not worthy to have names."

I nodded, folding my arms across my chest. "So you work for a self-righteous bastard. Awesome. Must be a joy to go to work every day. Who do you work for?"

"To be honest, I was expecting a sword pointed at my throat. I was told that's the usual Nephilim way."

"Would you like me to do that?" I countered.

"It would make you more predictable." Prophecy Dude admitted.

"What am I if not predictable?" I noted. "Besides, you're here to tell me that anyways. Why force out information that I should be getting willingly?"

"Why not?" He rejoined.

"Because I'm actually not in the mood today." I snapped. "But you're making me mad. And making me mad just makes me want to kill you instead of threaten you with your life."

"Fair enough." He gave a curt nod. "My master rightfully owns the ring on the girl's neck, and is here to finish the work of his predecessor. He wants you to know that he will succeed, and when he does he's going to kill you first."

"Hmm…" I sighed. "Me first? Am I really that much of a threat?"

"He knew you would say something like that." The boy mused. "And he said that if you did, to tell you that he's merely getting rid of the access."

"And all of these bad guys keep telling me I'm so unimportant, and have to make a point of trying to lower my self esteem." I noted. "Why waste the effort? It just ends up making me feel even more like I've made a stunning impression."

"Mmm…" The guy nodded. "Be this as it may, I have full confidence in my master –"

His words ended in a choking gasp, as the blade of my sword Metatron lodged its blade into his chest. He fell to his knees, looking up at me. I stepped up to him, jerking the sword roughly out of him, and leaving him with another shuttering breath of pain.

"See? This is what you get for being a follower." I said. "I didn't have to kill you, but look what happened. Tell your master that I'll be ready for him, and the sooner he gets over his little power trip, the better off he'd be. Seriously, it's not good for people to be overly confident."

"Says the conceited one." Prophecy Dude retorted.

I scoffed, deciding to use one of my most favorite quotes I'd ever heard in my life. "Please. Being conceited is a fault, and I have none."

I smirked as the Dude's face contorted in final, uncontrolled rage, but he couldn't do a thing about it as he folded inward on himself, and turned to smoke before my eyes.

_**.M.I.W.**_

_Rightfully owns the ring on the girl's neck…_

_Finish the work of his predecessor…_

Now I had already pieced together the information, but I wasn't sure that I was willing to believe who I thought it was just yet. Besides, with the information Prophecy Dude had given me, I couldn't really do much for it. I didn't know where he was located, so I couldn't go gallivanting.

And that totally blows because I finally realized that I was in the mood to gallivant.

"Madi."

I froze, feeling a cool gust of wind brush past my face and rustle my hair. I sighed deeply as I heard the nearly silent footsteps from behind me.

Grinding my teeth together, I refused to turn around, even though about ninety percent of me told me to do it and smile at him. But that other ten percent held me rooted to my spot, and I glared at the street ahead of me.

I knew walking near the park was risky, but that stupid ninety percent of me wanted to see him, wanted to him to come out. That other ten percent had consented to it, because it didn't think that he actually would be here.

But he was, and my inner war was no out for blood. And that made everything so much harder.

"I, uh… I've gotten near the root of the problem with all of the demon attacks. It's only a matter of time before I have everything put together. For now just tell Her Majesty and the other Fae to stay out of sight. The closer they are to their homes, the better off they'll be."

There was silence. I continued to stare ahead of me, while that cursed ninety percent was shrieking for me to turn around. I just couldn't, though. Couldn't.

"All right." Meliorn stated curtly. "I'll see to it when I return."

Again, there was silence. I waited for him to turn around. Turn around and just leave. But he didn't. I didn't hear his quiet footsteps, and I just could feel that he was still there. So close and yet so far.

"I can't do it." I informed him, not really even sure if he got what I was talking about. "There are so many reasons why I can't. My situation, my life… me. I just can't. It wouldn't be fair. I'm sorry."

I continued walking forward, not even looking back.

I guess, in a third person point of view, it would look like I was fine. That what I'd said or done hadn't affected me in any way, shape, or form.

But, because this is me, and I'm in my first person, I could say and run what was going on inside of me.

And inside of me, I felt myself breaking.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**What are your thoughts on the whole Meliorn/Madi issue? Who do you think is behind all of this?**

**Post a comment to tell me!**


	16. The Good and the Bloody Noses

**TA-DA! A gift! To celebrate spring break on my end of the universe. I hope you enjoy. :D**

**For those of you who actually read my author notes (ten points for you!), I just read Howl's Moving Castle! Now I'm going to watch the movie.**

**ShoutOuts ~**

**LoverGurl10621:**** Hey, I'm glad if I could help. I'm sorry if the critique wasn't detailed enough on your fanfic's, but I had to go work on my job application. And, wow, really? Thank you so much! That really does mean a lot. Sorry, ha ha, I'm kind of floored.**

**BookNinja15:**** Heya, Fluffy Beast, I'm glad you laughed. And thanks for the props and cheers. And Madi didn't kill Valentine, he killed her. Keep writing awesome? Psh, I invented writing awesome. ):-)**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**Still I Rise**_** ~ Nicki Minaj**

_**Monsters **_**~ Band of Horses**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**16. Why must the Good always get Bloody Noses?**

I don't really know how it happened, but I was back home in sweatpants, a T-shirt, training swords in both hands, and beating the shit out of a training dummy.

Why did my life have to be so _stupid_?

I waved the swords above my head, feeling all of my muscles pull and strain themselves as I pulled the swords down in a fast arc, which would've cut off someone's head and sliced their heart in two.

I mean, seriously, I find a semi cool guy that, yes, I was aware I didn't know all that well. But I kind of liked him. He was calm, and that was something that I found appealing in him. And, weirdly, he had a sense of humor. I know, I was surprised too! We spoke after my patrols, and it was like we were two normal people just talking. He had a taste in music. When he let his true colors show like that… it was unbelievable.

Sue me for it, but it's the truth.

_BAM!_

I spun around sharply, effectively hitting myself in the head with the wood blade. I hissed out a curse as dropped both swords, and glared up at whoever had interrupted my training. It was Jace, looking just about as mad as I and in a similar outfit.

I kicked my swords to the side of the gym, watching them out of the corner of my eye as they slid across the hardwood floor. I loosened my stance and cracked my knuckles. I then finally looked up at Jace, who had started wrapping tape around his hands to keep them from being bruised too badly, as I'd done.

He finally looked up at me, and it was that exact moment when we looked at each other, waves of feelings and understanding seemed to envelope the room.

"It's hard." He finally said.

"Everything is." I returned.

Then, he ran at me without even a second's more hesitation.

I met him head on, bracing his shoulders in my hands as I kneed him in the stomach. Air flew out of him in a whoosh, and I darted to the other side. Jace curled his hand in a fist and punched the side of my knee, effectively crippling me and causing me to fall.

As he came at me again, I pulled out my now slightly bruised leg, and clipped him just above his ankles, making him fall in return.

I jumped up and backed off quickly, waiting for Jace to scramble up and come running at me again.

His fists darted to my face in rapid succession, and I ducked past as many as I could, but finally took a blow to the side of my face. My eyes watered at the sting, and I saw Jace back up a step, slight realization forming in his eyes.

I didn't give him a second more to think, and turned around and grabbed two practice swords from the pegs on the walls. I flipped them one at a time, and watched as Jace grabbed two swords as well.

We flew at each other, wood cracking hard on wood and echoing throughout the room.

Combinations were thrown hard and fast, and I could feel my adrenaline slowly build. At the moment, I didn't care if it surfaced or not.

Blocks were perfectly timed, as well as hits. Maybe once or twice we'd clip the other person on the shoulder, leg, or side, but those accomplishments were far and few between.

Then, finally, my whole body snapped into hyper mode, and the fight was faster and harder.

I finally found my bearings, and flipped Jace's swords out of his own hands, and they flew across the room. I wrapped my leg around his ankle and tripped him, me following suit and holding the swords pointed at two angles at his neck.

We stared at each other for a few very slow seconds. I could feel my nose bleeding. But I didn't look away. Jace's golden eyes met mine, his face glistening with sweat and his hair sticking to his forehead. He let out heavy, hot breaths that fanned across my face. I was breathing just as hard too, feeling sweat breaking out on my face and shoulders.

A sharp blow hit my abdomen, and I went flying back. I dropped my swords in the process and stumbled to my feet. My shoes slipped back against the floor for maybe a foot, and Jace and I were at it again.

I went for the minute sucker punch for his stomach, three hard jabs and caused him to double over slightly. I grabbed his wrists and wrenched them behind his back, kicking the back of one of his knees to make him end up in a kneeling position.

We stayed like that for a few minutes, neither of us exactly knowing what to do next. We'd both found each other at an impasse. He was disabled, and if I made a move to try and break his neck, he could free his hands, grab my wrists, and flip me over, putting him at the lead. So we sat there, and waited.

Finally, as our breathing slowed, I pulled back. Jace let his arms hang limply at his sides, and I sat next to him.

Another few minutes passed, and I lay down on my side to face him. "I met a guy." I informed him tranquilly.

"I kissed Clary." Jace replied with equal casualty.

"I had a feeling." I noted.

"No, today." He said.

"Oh." I breathed. "That's a new element to add into the mix."

"Yeah. Who's the guy?"

"A Fae knight." I sighed. "Can't go out with him though. Living in a different dimension and everything."

"I'm sorry."

"Not your fault. I think it would be safe to say that I blame Belial."

"Who?"

"Greater demon. Said he was the one who gave me my teleporting power. I killed him though. That night at the Hotel Du Mort."

"You can't just kill a greater demon." Jace informed me. "They have a habit of chronically showing up."

"Awesome." I rolled my eyes. "Let's talk about you and Clary."

We spent probably an hour and half in the gym, just talking, going over possible solutions for both of our problems that didn't involve me saying that I was taking care of Clary's memory.

"So, you like this Faerie?" Jace asked, and I smiled at his slight insinuation that Meliorn was not just a Faerie _creature_.

"Maybe." I muttered. "I mean, I'm pretty sure it won't go any further than that, but it would be nice to have a chance."

He sighed in agreement, now lying on his back next to me.

"And Clary." I reminded him. "Maybe you could just kind of… let it go on its course. Or, my personal favorite, I think you should tell her."

He didn't say anything at that, but he turned on his side to face me. "Maybe. I'm just worried that maybe there could be something that will hold her back from being with me this time."

"Jace." I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "You one of the smartest dumb people in the universe."

He raised an eyebrow at me, and I quickly elaborated. "You think Clary, the love of your life, is going to break up with you _because she can't remember you_? I mean, yes, in the real world, I wouldn't be surprised. But this is Cassandra Clare's novel, meaning you are filled with angst and true love potential. You're the love of Clary's life, and she'll feel this total connection of 'OMG I LOVE HIM'… ness, and you two will go running into the sunset, possibly in song, with a picnic basket in hand, when she gets her memory back."

"_If_ she gets her memory back." He grumbled.

"_When_." I corrected him.

There was suddenly a small gasp from behind me, and in Jace's suddenly dark expression, I could only take it as a bad sign.

I turned on my back, rocked back on my shoulders, and attempted to put myself up. Only it ended up as a total fail and I ended up falling on my backside. "Why can't I ever get that right?" I asked rhetorically, and took the hand Jace offered so I could stand.

Then I faced the door to see Clary, her face turning redder and redder.

"Hey, Clary." I smiled. "How are you?"

She didn't say anything, her expression turning more and more… angry?

"Uh…?"

"What are you two doing in here?" She hissed, and I took as step back in slight surprise. Why was she mad?

I looked back at Jace, who looked just as helpless and confused as I. I turned back to face Clary, who was slowly walking in. "Training?" I supplied.

And that was when the whole universe kind of snapped.

"I bet you were." Clary hissed, and went flying straight for the jugular.

My. Jugular.

I quickly sidestepped her charge while my mind was reeling. "What the hell?" I demanded as she straightened up and faced me, and I realized she was going for blood. "Wait, wait, wait, wait –!"

She attacked me again, pulling out moves that were similar to Jace's, except hers were a little more feminine. I ducked past them all, since she wasn't as fast as Jace, but I didn't try to fight back. When her fist came at my face, I quickly put a hand up to grab it, making her stop short. "Hold on!" I yelled, still completely bewildered.

"How could you!" She cried, her eyes solely fixed on an immobile Jace. I froze at the pain in her voice. It sounded like the whole world was breaking and falling apart around me.

I swallowed, her attack frozen as she stared at him, breathing hard, and tears leaking from her eyes. "Clary, maybe –"

_Crack!_

"Oh, Jesus _Christ_!" I croaked as I stumbled back. My nose was bleeding more than it had been before, and hurt like a bitch. "What the fucking hell is your _problem_!"

You see, dear friends, Clary had decided to take my moment of weakness and sucker punched me in the nose. So, now, it felt like it was broken.

"Back. _Off_!" Clary screamed.

"Shut. _Up_!" I yelled back, our voices echoing throughout the room. "What the fuck is _wrong_ with you?"

She charged at me again, but this time she'd made a huge mistake. Before, I was blocking, trying to figure out what was wrong. I was still confused as hell, but one thing made sense. This chick had gone too far on the offense, and now she was coming at me again.

She was dead.

I ran straight for her, ducking at her first punch, and giving a sharp jab at her side. She gasped in pain, but attempted another hit, but I sidestepped it, taking a step back as she approached me again. She reached forward with both hands, and I grabbed her wrists, and flipped her over so she landed hard on her back.

"Clary? Jace?" I heard Isabelle's voice ring out in the hallway, a bunch of steps coming closer.

"_You_ back off." I snarled as she wheezed and glared up at me.

I turned around, making my way for the door, but I heard her jump up. I narrowed my eyes and froze. Isabelle and Alec were just at the door, looking in with horror on their faces.

Clary let out a scream slash grunt, and I spun around to see her running at me.

I bent at the knee at the final moment, swiftly rose my leg, and let the momentum carry my leg as my foot crashed into her face. She was grounded again and I crouched, one of my hands fisted into her shirt and the other into a fist to 'sedate' her again.

Finally, I felt two strong hands grip my wrist as Clary started coming to again. I craned my neck back to see Jace's paled face and hard eyes trained only for Clary. I

Anger fueled my entire being at the entirety of the situation, and I curled my fist, broke free of his hold, and punched him in the face.

It got the desired reaction, Jace pulling back only slightly at the effect.

"Control your girlfriend!" I yelled.

"Control yourself!" He countered.

He had a huge, huge point there, but at the same time, it was so hard. Just one wrong move and I snapped.

I continued to look at him, and it seemed like he slowly got the message. I spun around sharply and stalked out of the room and towards my room so I could take a shower.

_**.M.I.W.**_

I shivered as I ascended the stairs and faced the huge door that was Magnus' apartment. I let out a low breath, and pressed the button on the intercom.

"_Who is it?_" The Warlock trilled on the other end.

I glared down at my shoes, sticking my hands in my pockets, wondering if this was suddenly such a good idea after all. My ideas never really panned out well for me. I mean, they worked, but I never really gained that much from them.

Let's look at some situations, recent to past:

I decided to help get Clary's memory back, while I had to suffer through freezing and sleepless nights. Then, let's not forget carrying Clary back to the Institute. We all know that'd been hell in itself.

Then, of course, there was my chillin' in _Maximum Ride_. Saving Fang's life made me get some weird gene enhancer shit, and has thus far screwed over my life.

Okay, in _Eclipse_, I decided to fend Jane off of the Bella situation, and I had to commit murder on what I was sure was an innocent person. That was a huge conscience killer. I mean, I was screwed up enough as it was.

And lastly, drinking water from Lake Lyn when I first came to _The Mortal Instruments_. Sure, I got superpowers for, like, five minutes. And then I got killed by Valentine.

So, yeah, sue me for being a little nervous.

"_I don't have all day._" He suddenly snapped.

I felt my nerves start getting the better of me, making my chest clench and hurt. I fisted my hands in my pockets and I let out another slow breath.

"_Well if silence is all I'll get –_"

I pressed the button, silencing the rest of his sentence. "No, Magnus, wait." I begged. "It's Madi. I… I need your help."

"_Fae, troubles, darling?_" He asked lazily.

I narrowed my eyes. "What? No. How did you –"

"_News travels fast in the Underworlder's circuit when Shadowhunters or… _Rogues_ are concerned._"

"Well, that's not it." I snapped. "As far as that's even 'concerned', it's over. Look, I need your help. Can I get it from you, or do I have to enlist in another warlock's help?"

There was silence on the intercom, and I rolled my eyes. I stepped down the stairs to leave, but the harsh, loud beep of an apartment door unlocking made me stop. I turned around to see the front door swing open, and reveal the inside of a basket elevator.

I frowned at Magnus' need for dramatics, and stepped inside, closing the elevator's gate behind me. I watched through the bars as the front door swung and slammed shut in front of me, and the elevator pushed off at supersonic speeds in pitch black.

I fell down hard on my backside at the force, and huffed in annoyance. Yes, Magnus _did_ have a need for dramatics.

Finally, the elevator slowed down, and I pulled myself up. It gave off a small ping, and I frowned as I stood up and faced the darkness. Suddenly, the door in front of me swung open, and I faced Magnus' apartment.

Magnus walked past the elevator's entrance, only wearing a fuzzy royal blue bathrobe. His jet black hair was slicked back like he'd just taken a shower, his nails painted black. He paused and looked up at me, a neon pink mug of something steaming in his hand. "Well, come in. No use standing there."

I quickly opened the gate of the elevator that just reached my waist, and walked inside. I started as the door slammed shut behind me, and I heard the elevator drop.

"An elevator that goes a million miles per hour? That's awesome and everything, but a little dramatic."

He waved me off as he sat on his zebra printed antique couch. I walked in front of him as he stretched out on the couch. He regarded me with his cat eyes for a few moments, expectantly. I swallowed and hooked my thumb in one of the pockets of my jeans, staring at the floor.

I wondered how I had to have looked to him. I'd barely had any sleep, my hair in a wind-screwed-up ponytail, my black coat was unbuttoned, my skinny jeans had holes in them, and my converse had definitely seen better days. I rubbed my eyes and sighed, really, _really_ beginning to think that I'd made a huge mistake.

"Well," The warlock noted, and I looked up at him. "This must definitely be something embarrassing."

"It is." I replied.

"Life changing?"

"Oh, definitely."

"Scandalous, I take it."

"One hundred percent dark and dirty."

He grinned at our bantering, and it was comforting enough to make me smile slightly back. He waved one of his hands, and a large, felt green vintage stool shot out from underneath a table. "Sit down, darling." He said as I followed his instructions. "You look absolutely freezing. Come along now, take off your coat."

I did so quickly, feeling more able to cope as I redid my ponytail. I straightened out the sleeves of my gray and black striped long sleeved shirt, and smiled wider at Magnus.

"What would you like to drink?" He went on. "Coffee, tea?"

"Tea." I decided.

"Earl Grey, English Breakfast," He listed off, "Peppermint, Gingerbread from a questionable year, chai?"

"Um… chai."

"Vanilla, or chocolate?"

"Vanilla."

"Excellent choice." He approved, and lifted his mug towards me. "I do love vanilla chai when it's soggy outside."

Suddenly, a silver tea cup was placed in my hands, and I laughed slightly. "I don't think I'm as used to magic as I thought I was." I admitted.

"You should come around more often. The Lightwoods use it more than any other Shadowhunters I know."

I laughed again, taking a sip of the scalding hot tea. From what I could tell, the taste was excellent. Magnus arched an eyebrow in surprise as I took a long drink. As I set the cup down in my lap, he decided to state the obvious. "You look horrible."

"I know."

"What did you need my help with?" He asked again, gentler this time.

I sighed, and frowned when I saw Chairman Meow slink out of one of the rooms. "I need a favor of the magical variety."

"Of course." He prompted.

"I need a… pacifier, of some sort."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What –"

"I have a temper." I said. "In fact, I don't even think a 'temper' is an understatement."

I grimaced as he continued to look confused.

"Remember that night Clary was attacked by those demons?" I asked instead. "How you thought I was poisoned?"

"Yes, you seemed to be hallucinating." He replied.

I narrowed my eyes at him, but he was still impassive. "I have this… condition. It's something like Jem's –"

"How on _earth_ do you know Jem?" Magnus demanded.

"I'll explain after you help me." I decided.

After a few seconds, he nodded.

"Anyways, on my last mission, I stepped into some trouble…"

I explained the story of how I got the serum in a hell of a lot more detail than Jace, and Magnus followed eagerly, only interrupting my story maybe once or twice to clarify something.

Afterwards, he stared blankly ahead of him. "What a life you must lead, little Rogue."

And that was all he had said for a while. I sat and waited for him to finish processing. Chairman Meow leapt on my lap, so small that he was barely there, and decided to help himself to the teacup of leftover chai tea. When Magnus' only looked at his cat, and then back ahead of him.

Finally, after some time, he spoke.

"I have been going over some spells." He announced, and I looked up at him. "There is only one that will work best."

I leaned forward. "And what is that?"

"The magic is very dark." He said.

"But can you do it?" I asked.

"It will be very painful." He admitted. "I don't recommend it."

"Please Magnus." I murmured. "I need this. I don't think I can keep living like this. I feel sick, all the time. I go into fights, and come back and puke blood. Even when I'm not fighting, my family _knows_ there's something wrong. I don't have excuses. I don't have a lie that can cover it up."

He still looked like he was thinking about it.

"_Please_." I begged.

My teacup disappeared from my hands as the warlock leapt up, and charged for the next room. Chairman Meow bolted off of my lap and followed him. I stared after the odd pair, pinching my eyebrows together in confusion.

"Lay on the banana pudding couch!" He called.

There was a loud whipping noise, and I turned over to see a deep purple blanket fly off of what was indeed a banana pudding colored couch. Well, in all actuality, it was more of a couch-sized stool. It didn't have a back. I stood up warily, noticing things moving throughout the room. Stuff that had been thrown about the floor (spoons, forks, socks, books, a bottle of some sort) were scooting across the floor and into their desired places. It was all organized chaos as I lay down on the couch.

I watched as the furniture around the room was being pushed back, and my heart leapt into my throat as the couch I had taken residence on flew to where the zebra printed couch had once been, directly across from the fireplace.

Then, in a loud _whoosh_, all of the lights in the apartment went out, making the room uncomfortably dark. I tightened my grip on the velvet couch. I wasn't really sure if this was Magnus' dramatics, or the proper environment needed for the spell to work, but it was already scaring the hell out of me.

Suddenly, I heard a loud bang, and then an explosion caused the fireplace across from my burst into blue light. I swallowed nervously, feeling my heart beat faster and faster. Magnus had set off the spark, and he was now approaching me with a few vials in his hand, looking very grave.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked again. "There is no going back."

I steeled myself, glaring up at the pitch black ceiling. I wanted this. I needed this. "Just do it." I told him through my gritted teeth.

And he began to chant.

Sounds of quiet wailing and whispers of darkness entered my ears, making my heart beat faster. I looked around the room to see shapes in the shadows, terrifying shapes, creep forward out of the darkness, never exactly touch the light of the blue fire, but curling around it, moving closer to me. My teeth began to chatter because I was getting so on edge, my muscles twitching at the will to stay where I was. I was so tempted to leap up and find the first weapon I could find. I felt cold, frozen, like nothing would ever be right again.

My breathing grew harder as the shadows approached, and I tried to focus on Magnus' chanting instead of the approaching… whatever the hell they were. He was speaking Latin, I soon realized. I could only make out a couple of words, everything else was lost on me except that it was in the present or perfect tense.

Yeah, thanks for teaching me grammar instead of actual vocabulary, stupid Latin teacher. Well, actually, my Latin teacher was pretty awesome. Shut up, Madi, you're just freaking out.

Then, the shadow things got closer, the wailing got louder, the cold became more painful, and my fear was on an all time high.

…_solvo flamma irae mea…_

The shadow things sprung.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**Ooh! *shudders* creepy.**

**Well, there's some Magnus and Madi, because one of my friends had been asking for a moment. **

**Wanna be catered for too? Comment about it.**


	17. Old Schizophrenias

**STOP, STOP, STOP!**

**Okay, BEFORE you go off reading, I just have a really fast question: **_**Does anyone know how to draw?**_

**Please comment if you do, and I'll message you about the details. :D **

**Um, I guess this gets 'kind of' (not really) spoilery at one point? (that is if no one has read **_**Clockwork Angel**_**)**

**Also, I'm beginning to seriously hate on my playlist on my profile. It doesn't have all of my music. Just Google the songs or something, and I'll refer to my master playlist, yes? Awesome.**

**Okay, unto, unto!**

**ShoutOuts ~**

**LoverGurl10621:**** Wow, thanks haha. I appreciate it.**

**BookNinja15:**** Hey, Fluffy. Right-o to Clary having issues. I laughed at your comment. Madi-tastic? Now you're just making my ego obese.**

**seLf-pRocLaimEd-Band-nErd:**** Yup, still hate your name xD. But when I laugh at your comment and my dad's in the room, he always asks if that's 'the fangirl'. You're part of the family with your famous 'freakin's' haha.**

**THEMESONGS:**

_**Die by the Drop **_**~ The Dead Weather**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**17. Old Schizophrenias**

The details of what had happened will never be discussed.

_**.M.I.W.**_

I slowly opened my eyes to see Magnus' apartment in all of its messy, antique-retro glory. My ears were met with pure silence, save for the quiet rustling in another room, probably caused by Chairman Meow. I turned over on my side, staring into the fireplace. Black soot lined the inside, as well as multi-colored sparkles dotted all over like stars in the night sky of a desert. The logs still had neon blue embers scarred in them.

My whole body felt… heavy. I blinked. Yes, heavy was the appropriate term to use for the way it felt. No pain, no cold. Just a rock. I breathed out and slowly pulled myself to a sitting position –

A light, large shadow passed the vision in the corner of my eye, and I turned my head sharply to track it. It froze on the wall when I met it. There were two holes for its eyes, the whole form of it just a blob. It narrowed its small eyes sharply, and streaked forward.

I reached back and grabbed one of my swords. "Sandalphon." I merely breathed as I swung at the shadow thing. The sword burst into light, cutting through the thing. It gave a gurgled cry, and dissipated. I continued to stare blankly at the now empty space where the shadow thing had taken residence.

That was when I realized something was wrong.

I mean, I felt healthy, but the thing was… I should've reacted more strongly to what had just happened. I dug deep for the feeling, not even sure what kind of feeling I was supposed to have.

Nope. Nothing.

Now I realized something was off, but it didn't make me… I just didn't…

"You're awake." Magnus approved, and I turned around slowly to see him coming out of the kitchen.

"How long was I out?" I asked as a cup of tea popped into my hands. I stared down at it as a strange feeling seemed to go through me. Like a breeze whispered through my chest.

"It's seven o'clock in the evening." He replied as he sat across from me. "And you came here yesterday at noon."

I knew I should've felt something then, but it didn't come. "I see." I nodded.

"The Lightwoods called to see if I'd seen you." He went on. "I said that I hadn't because it didn't really seem like you would want that."

"Yes." I said as my gaze locked on Chairman Meow, crawling out of one of the rooms.

"Yes…?" He prompted.

I turned back to face him, slowly. "Yes. In agreement of I did not want them to know. Anyway, what were those strange shadow things from yesterd –?"

I choked on the word 'yesterday' as I felt my whole body weigh heavier. I frowned, wondering what was happening. I drank what I realized was vanilla chai, and decided to try again. I cleared my throat, "Yesterday –"

Again, my body weighed me down like a ton of bricks, making me choke out the word.

"They were condemned spirits." Magnus said. "Why, was one still roaming the house?"

"I took care of it." I responded calmly.

He continued to stare at me strangely, and I stared back, not knowing what else to do. Maybe I should've felt something, done something, that would better make sense of the moment, but I couldn't find it.

"What are you feeling?" He finally asked.

I shrugged my shoulders back, and thought about it. I looked deep into myself, asking the question. It was then that I realized my answer. "Nothing." I responded tranquilly. "Nothing at all. Why?"

The answer made him have a strange look on his face, and I felt myself have some strange form of… It puzzled me.

"That spirit should have killed you." He informed me, and I raised my eyebrows in curiosity. "The way they kill is by making the blood of their prey turn cold and freeze them in fear. You don't feel _anything_?"

I thought it over. "Well, I _am_ hungry –"

"No, no." He waved his hand to dismiss my answer. "Not physical feelings. Emotional."

I mean, it did feel like I was dealing with my problems in the third person. That I couldn't come up with a very simple answer. I thought it over again, and realized (a little too calmly) what the problem was.

I didn't _feel_ anything.

I looked up at Magnus. "Nothing." I responded again.

"Apathy." He breathed.

"Yes." I nodded once. "Apathy. What is that, again?"

"I _knew_ this spell wasn't a good idea." He said angrily, instead of answering my question. I merely watched as he stroked his chin, sparing me a glance every now and then. He looked like he was thinking again, staring off into space.

I looked out the window to see the Brooklyn sun setting, and blinked. I stood up, and slung the scabbards' straps of my swords over my shoulders. I then turned and made my way to the front door. When I was about to touch the knob, a tall figure blocked me.

"Where do you think you're going?" Magnus demanded.

"To the Institute." I said. "I should probably head back."

"Not in this state!" He said in surprise, raising his eyebrows.

"Why not? I have weapons. The Lightwoods are probably very concerned, and I can't tell them why I actually came here. I might as well just go back now."

_**.M.I.W.**_

"Madi!" Isabelle cried, her voice filled with relief as I walked into the Institute from the elevator. She ran up to me, but stopped short as I walked past her. "Um… Guys, Madi's here!"

There were footsteps running down the stairs, and my gaze stopped on a black haired boy with glasses walking up to me from the living room. When he saw me, he stopped.

Then, two seconds later, Max ran up to me with a huge smile on his face as soon as he saw me. "Madi!" He smiled, and wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug. I froze in slight confusion as I felt that wind rushing right though my chest. Then, I realized I should probably hug him back, and awkwardly put my arms around him.

"Hi." I said.

"Where have you _been_?" He demanded as he pulled away and looked up at me.

"Paris." I replied automatically. "The Clave needed me there."

"Madi." I turned around at the sight of Jace walking into the living room, Alec behind him.

"Where were you?" Alec asked.

I stared at them all, wondering what they thought of me. If I looked any different. "A walk." I finally decided to answer.

Alec frowned. "What kind of walk takes _two_ _days_?"

I thought about it, realizing he had a point there. I shrugged. "I got lost."

Alec's face was slowly turning red, but probably not from embarrassment. "_Lost_?"

"Yes, lost." Jace said, his gaze lingering on me before turning to Alec. "Surely you've heard of the term. You say it all the time when we take the subway."

"Because you always take the wrong _train_." Alec rolled his eyes. "You always think you know the way, when you don't."

"But we always come home." Jace said wistfully. "We're like that dog, er…"

"_Lassie_?" I supplied.

He snapped his fingers, a smile on his face. "_That's_ the one!"

"You're a disgrace to Shadowhunters everywhere." Alec pressed his hand into his face and shook his head, though you could see his bemused smile peeking from his fingers.

Jace's eyes suddenly darkened, and he looked at Alec with such a fire in his eyes it was beyond intimidating. So much so, that intimidating was a few miles behind where he was. I thought back, quite calmly, to what would stir such a reaction in my cousin. I thought back to it, and then realized the obvious. "Holy shit." I breathed.

Alec glanced up to look at me, but his gaze immediately turned to Jace, who was still livid. I noticed the shaking of his taut muscles, the tensing of his jaw. By the look in his eyes, he seemed ready for blood.

A strange instinct arose in me then, and I started walking towards Jace. "I just forgot there's something we have to talk about." I said, grabbing his arm and hauling him away. "Thank you all for meeting me down here, I'm perfectly well." I called back to the Lightwoods.

When I finally tracked the training room, I pulled him inside and shut the door. I finally turned around to see him breathing heavily, the look in his eyes beyond enraged and crushing betrayal.

"Let it out." I suggested calmly.

"He did it." He snarled. "You heard him, didn't you? He said it the _exact_ same way!"

"But he was kidding." I reminded him.

"_Still_!" He growled, punching the first training dummy in his wake. "I didn't believe this when I read that stupid, _damned_ book, but now –"

He spun around sharply, pointing a finger out to me. "_You_ did this!"

Okay, now he was being hysterical. I frowned, furrowing my eyebrows. "I thought we'd already clarified that I didn't write this book –"

"You _made_ me read the stupid thing!"

I sighed, suddenly feeling slightly tired. From what, I didn't know. "Jace, as we both know, no one can make you do anything. They can only ask you to do so nicely."

"You _manipulated_ me." He stated darkly.

"I prefer unique soliciting." I decided, still feeling that eerie calm. "Besides, you learned about your great-something-grandfather. That's cool, right? You turned out to be just as much of an ass as him, except totally awesome hair."

Without any warning, there was a _smack!_ and the whole room was silent.

I turned to see Jace's blood pouring from his split knuckles ooze down the wall, just centimeters away from my head. He glared at me as if he didn't even feel the pain that that must've caused him.

I continued to stare up at him, not feeling anything, of course. Jace's gaze faltered slightly, and we both seemed to realize I should've reacted in some way. The fact was that I'd seen the punch coming, I just didn't really care if it would come at my face or not.

"What's wrong with you?" Jace demanded softly.

I shrugged idly and walked under his arm to the door. "I got tired of being angry. I needed to _control myself_."

I walked out of the room.

_**.M.I.W.**_

After showering and changing into my pajamas, I sat on my bed and stared out the window as light filtered in. There was nothing better to do, and I was surprisingly content. No bubbling rage to worry about, no sadness to deal with, no pressing matters to haunt me. Life was suddenly a hell of a lot easier.

_Madison…Madison…_

Apparently, I'd spoken too soon.

_Madison…_

"Raziel." I noted questioningly. "Is that you?"

_Yes._

"Huh, never thought I'd run into you again." I stated blandly.

_You have cursed yourself. If you don't break what you have soon, you will not be able to save your friends._

"Personally, I kind of like it." I noted. "Besides, I've got that covered."

_You will die, Madison, if you do not end this spell. Even though you believe it's good for you, it won't be to anyone else._

"Well, maybe I want something just for me." I stated. "I'm tired of wasting my energy on other people when they obviously don't give a damn about what happens to me."

And then I was met with silence.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**Finally some Max in there. And didya like how I used a **_**City of Glass**_** reference or whatever? I know I was amused.**

**Yes, I have been **_**totally**_** planning that issue with Jace and Alec since I introduced **_**Clockwork Angel**_** to Jace. Finally!**

**Sorry if the chapter was boring. Mainly a filler so you guys can get ready fro what's to come. I tried humor since I know how much you all like it, but it's kind of hard to train a RobotMadi into funny.**


	18. Remembering

**WAIT!**

_**Thanks for the reviews concerning the drawing stuff! I just turned my PM's on (idk how that got to the way it was) but it should be all good now.**_

**So, I felt really bad that this chapter ended up so short. I thought it was going to be one of those beastin' fighting chapters, but thus far, nothing. Enjoy! You guys are so spoiled.**

**Okay, so, I just went over the next couple o'chapters for this, and I gotta say, it'll be quite epic. Hopefully no one shall expect the ending.**

**ShoutOuts ~**

**BloodsuckerHater:**** Lol, I got chu, breh. **

**Bookninja15:**** Hey, thanks again, Fluffy. Your comments rock.**

**AwesomePrincess:**** I love your name. It's beastin'. Thanks for your comment.**

**seLf-pRocLaimEd-Band-nErd:**** All right lol. I'll get the message across sure thing. I'll look over your story ASAP.**

**~ THEMESONGS ~**

_**The Funeral**_** ~ Band of Horses**

_**The Only Difference between Martyrdom and Suicide is Press Coverage**_** ~ Panic! at the Disco**

**(^ bejeevus, that's a title ^)**

**{Disappear ~ Hoobastank [madi nd meliorn]}**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**18. Remembering**

I was sitting on the Institute's roof again, not the top of the steeple this time, but sitting on the back of a lower sitting gargoyle. I had my feet propped up on the head of the rude monster, my legs crossed and my back against the stone roof. I clasped my hands on my stomach as I stared up at setting sun. The sounds of cars honking and the lights surrounding me created a surprisingly soothing atmosphere. It was probably about seven, which meant I still had about three hours to kill until my patrol.

To think that in a few days, three weeks would have passed since I'd been in this weird world. I only had a few more days left before I had to leave. Leave everything. My stomach clenched in sickness as soon as I thought of a certain Fae knight that I'd probably never have the chance to see again.

I sighed as I looked back down at the fast cars threading through the large skyscrapers that towered around me. I rested my head against the stone again, staring at my jeans. _My Name Is_ by Eminem played though my earphones from my iPod as I searched for another song, finally deciding on _Please Don't Go_ by Mike Posner. I watched the traffic zoom by again, feeling somewhat sated the way I was.

Suddenly, there was an unholy screech that pierced the air even though my music, making me frown. I unwound my legs and spread them as I leaned over the gargoyle's head, tracing the noise.

_Madison…_ Raziel's voice commanded.

I paused my iPod and yanked out one of my earphones, still scanning the streets to see if I could find the disturbance from up here. "Raz?" I asked calmly.

_Turtle Pond._ The angel answered. _You _must_ hurry. The Fae knights are in trouble._

As soon as he'd said 'Fae', something inside of me just snapped. Heat coursed through my body in a way I hadn't felt in a couple of days. It was strangely relieving.

I pushed myself off of the gargoyle's head, and pretty much (and quite literally) dove into my bedroom. With the strange apathy back again, I tucked into a roll as soon as I hit the ground, and pulled up to a knee, my head only centimeters away from my bedpost.

Well, maybe this clear thinking had a few more advantages I never considered.

"Should I get the others?" I asked as I went to gather the gear.

_No, go alone._

"Fine."

_**.M.I.W.**_

Clad with my Shadowhunter gear and my two swords, I was running as fast as I could. I wanted to go faster, but my serum wasn't working with the combined magic of the Runes. I tried to activate it, but nothing happened. The stuff must only work whenever I got mad. I was beginning to believe I'd just made a huge mistake. A mistake that might cause Meliorn and a few other Fae their lives.

I streaked through the city, only noticing my legs burning and my lungs wishing for air. I fought through it. It was only mind over matter, and I could take it. Anything to save him.

_You must hurry._ Raziel murmured in my head. _You're getting closer._

"Hurrying." I breathed at the new information, making my feet pound the cement harder.

It was amazing that Raz seemed to like me enough to let me mark myself without turning into one of those wretched Forsakens and give me the secret to glamour (which is so easy we normal humans can do it). I wasn't going to disappoint him.

_**.M.I.W.**_

When the park was finally in sight, I forced myself to go even faster.

I heard the noises only a few seconds after I entered the park's threshold. I bolted straight towards it, pulling out my swords as I ran. I felt the two sharp stings of the swords making contact with the bottoms of my forearms, but ignored them altogether. I stumbled slightly through the melting four-inch deep snow, but kept a steady pace.

I felt my blood literally cool when I saw the scene, and kept up a strong pace. Ten of those strange slithery demon types were surrounding a group of five or six of the Fae knights, and trying to close in.

"Metatron. Sandalphon." I huffed as I pulled the swords into action, slicing the side of one of the demons and giving a grand whack at another.

I quickly entered the center of the ring of knights, who were all in some seriously epic garb. And I thought my gear was intense.

"Madi!" I skidded to a stop before plowing into Meliorn, only ending up a few inches shy of hitting him.

I stared up at him (which was very easy to do since his six feet easily rivaled my five-three), feeling that strange snap inside of me once again just by seeing him. His dark eyes flickered all around my face, his eyebrows furrowing. A slight breeze ruffled his jet black, shaggy, skater-cut-like hair.

Finally seeming to be able to regain something, I shrugged. "I –"

He flipped his long sword in one of his hands, while he grabbed my waist with his free one and steered me behind him in one fluid movement. He then grabbed the sword's hilt with both hands, and sliced off the head of an attacking demon.

There was not much time to talk after that, both of us swinging into action. Finally – it seemed – some of the knights had caught on to the extra fighter, and some having the time to gasp out "Nephilim!" in surprise before clashing again.

The apathy spell… or curse (not that I was caring) really helped me focus on the battle, but I just didn't feel as fast as I used to. I flipped the swords easily and stabbed and swiped every chance I took.

This being said, I also got hurt on the way. A demon's tail would whip me in the face, a claw would rake down my side. Nothing too bad to worry about.

I spun around after dragging both swords across a demon's face to see Meliorn, pulling out his knives and throwing them at any demon giving one of his fellow knights trouble. He grappled his long sword again as a demon lumbered up to him, chopping off the demons legs in one stroke, and then the demon's head. He stared at it as the demon fell at his feet, having nothing but a stone cold look in his eye.

He was gorgeous.

Hey… That sounded kind of like Old Madi coming back.

I didn't have much time to really revel in that, because another demon was coming up behind him. I gritted my teeth and tightened the grip on my swords, sprinting forward to his aid.

I reached him in what felt like record time, just as the demon was about to strike. I jumped in front of the rearing animal, my back just barely brushing Meliorn, and made a huge arc above my head with both swords as I attempted to swipe at the creature's chin. It dropped to all fours and pulled its head away.

I ducked around the demon's snapping jaws, lodging Sandalphon into its shoulder, and pulled myself up. My left foot came next, and I then reached up and stabbed its back with Metatron. Blood squirted out of the wounds I was inflicting, stinging my skin. I straightened up and grinned as I stood on the demon's back, feeling somewhat superior. I looked down at Meliorn, who was now intent on what was happening, his eyes wide. I felt a familiar whistling run through my body, and laughed in spite of myself.

It was like the world unlocked, and I felt every single emotion run through me. The familiar adrenaline, the pure pleasure, and of course the electric shock of arrogance.

"Oh hell yes!" I cried as I held my position like a surfer, spreading my feet slightly apart.

"Metatron! Sandalphon!" I yelled, smiling as the swords grew brighter. I swept them upwards in an 'ex' above my head, then lowered them and swung out, effectively chopping off the demon's head.

I rode it out as the whole body crumpled soon after. I stumbled forward slightly, making me reach the chest of Meliorn once again, who was staring at me in pure surprise. I saw the demon fold in on itself and turn to dust, and I focused on him.

Still battle swept gorgeous, and I realized that I still had my feelings. I realized, after those two days not feeling anything, I felt _very_ strongly for this knight.

"Fae knight." I said as I looked up at him, sporting a small half-smile.

He raised his eyebrows in amusement, shrugging. "Who's asking?"

I was about to answer, until his expression became panicked. I furrowed my brows. "Meliorn –?"

A sharp pain struck the back of my head, and it was light's out.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**STOP! (again D: sorry!)**

**I'm sorry it's so short.**

**Maybe I should start making a couple name for Madi and Meliorn?**

**Also! I think because this moment didn't really make a lot of sense, I'll sport a mini-fanfic of the moments of Madi and Meliorn. Trust me, there were a lot.**


	19. Pain is Better than Nothing

**Oh my God… **

**So… Who else knew **_**City of Fallen Angels**_** was out? I'm not sure whether to take it seriously or not, because I remember it being a title on a FanFiction floating around here. If it is what I think it is, Imma be kinda pissed. **

**Urgh, so now that I've been playing around in my own world, do you know what this means?**

_**ANOTHER**_** MORTAL INSTRUMENTS APPEARANCE! **

**^.^' Lol, sorry, but not really. I've been abusing Brooklyn long enough.**

**I'm actually pretty pissed about chapter eighteen. It was just too damn short.**

**So, here's a chapter with some length.**

**~ THEMESONGS ~**

_**Monsters **_**~ Hurricane Bells**

_**Mama**_** ~ My Chemical Romance**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**19. Pain is Better than Nothing**

_Madi felt her nerves pile up as the night slowly crept to take over the sunset. Her first ever patrol for the Seelie Queen was about to start, and she knew there would be more to come. She waited patiently near Turtle Pond, since the Queen had said, per their arrangement, to meet with Meliorn to go over which places she should look into more carefully. _

_Yes, she was ecstatic for the chance to go romping about Brooklyn and probably have the chance to kill something. But, no, she would probably never be happy to spend any time whatsoever with Meliorn._

_Just as she'd thought that, the large pond's ice ahead of her began to shift and break down and slide away. Walking up some imaginary stairs, Madi's eyes found Meliorn's as his black hair popped up first, followed by his face, his chest with his arms clasped behind his back with the calmest (and probably most badass walk) she'd ever come across._

"_Meliorn." She nodded as she took a few steps back as the Fae knight made his way towards her. She stiffened and straightened up in attention as he stopped a foot or so ahead of her._

"_Rogue." He responded coolly. It automatically irked her that he didn't call her by her name. Obviously he was too good for her. She didn't even stifle rolling her eyes after he'd said that, and he continued speaking. _

"_You will need to check the south and east sides." He informed her. "That was where the most recent of the attacks were. You can then travel to the northeast end if you've time. If you meet any Fae, you are to ask them what happened to gain more information. They'll probably be more helpful."_

_She nodded shortly, making sure the swords on her back were secured. "Sounds like a plan, Stan. Am I supposed to recoup with you when I'm done?"_

"_That won't be necessary." He informed her in a clipped tone. "You may come to us only if you have information._

_He continued to stare at her, which made her slightly nervous. She glared at him. "What?" She demanded._

"Stan_?"_

"_Yeah…?"_

_Meliorn nodded experimentally. "Simon and Garfunkle?"_

"_Yeah!" Madi beamed._

xXx

_Madi sighed as she walked into the park. This was her third patrol now, and already after the first, she felt the strain. Tonight she had to check the entire perimeter, which meant six less hours to sleep. It was already four in the morning, Jace's internal clock started at six, and it would take her thirty minutes to walk home._

_One hour of sleep tonight. Awesome._

_She froze slightly when she saw a figure walking towards her, but relaxed when she saw it was only Meliorn under the orange lamplight. She smiled slightly._

"_Hey!" She waved, walking up to him. "A Meli, a Meli, a-Ma-a-Ma! A Meli, a Meli!"_

_He merely frowned when she walked up to him, furrowing his brows. "What was that?" He asked._

_Now it was Madi who raised an eyebrow in return. "Lil' Wayne_? A Millie_?" She demanded incredulously._

"_I know that." He stated shortly. "I meant why would you greet me like that?"_

"_So you _do_ know Lil' Wayne." Madi clarified, remembering his decision to ignore her 'obvious infatuation' with rap music. "Why do you always have to lie to me? It's not like I'm not going to figure it out eventually."_

_He rolled his eyes in slight exasperation, but smirked. "And what makes you so sure about that?"_

_She shrugged. "We're friends. It's how we roll."_

_He didn't follow immediately after, as he usually did in their newfound playful banters. After the second day of Meliorn's decision to just call her 'Rogue', Madi immediately grew tired of it._

"_Look," she'd said, "We both know this is going to happen for a while, so would it kill you to call me by my name?"_

_Things had definitely been more friendly after that, and Madi had to say that she liked it._

_But now Meliorn was quiet, his dark eyes flickering on anything other than her face. "Friends?" He asked, surprisingly quiet._

_She nodded. "Friends."_

xXx

_It was now the Monday of Madi's patrol. She'd been dodging through the seedy allies of Brooklyn, and enjoying it. Sure, she got a little dirty from diving into trash piles and squeezing through fences, but she didn't know the trick of glamour, and Jace wouldn't tell her no matter how much she begged whenever she got a second alone with him._

_Seriously, not having glamour in a place filled with rapists was kind of stupid. But, this was the most demon infested area on the south end, and Madi had a hunch that she would find a lead there. Unfortunately, she didn't realize she'd also find a group of people who wanted to do a little more than just 'give her a lead'. _

_And that was how she was stuck, held against a grimy brick wall, facing a gang of three really big guys._

"_Guys, guys, guys." She said, thinking she could talk her way out of the predicament, fighting the urge to pull out her swords and be finished with the whole matter. "I'm positive we can work out an arrangement. There's a group of girls down the corner that would love your attention –"_

"_I don't know." One guy said drunkenly to another. "I kinda like the one right here."_

"_And she's free!" Another cried, making her shrink further into the wall. _

_Her chest heaved, heart beating faster than any fight. She stared up at them, trying to find her resolve. "Come on," she attempted again, "Let's talk about this –"_

_And then she saw the gun, and heard a telltale click. She stared down at it in surprise, and realized how useless her swords were at that exact moment. "Oh." She forced out a small, breath of a laugh. "I see."_

_One of the men suddenly buckled, making the other two stare down at him in surprise. The falling man did a marvelous face plant, and Madi saw the familiar hilt of a familiar dagger._

"_Man, what the fu –" That man didn't even finish his sentence, because he too fell._

_She then looked up at the final man standing, still holding a gun to her. Both shared a look of pure shock for two totally different reasons._

_Then, a strong, tall form was in front of her. She didn't even recognize who he was, his body shadowed by the dim light. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her to the side. She looked over his shoulder at the man with the gun that had fired without her really registering._

"_Come on," Meliorn's voice cut through her staring at the dead man. She swayed as he collected his daggers from the dead people, and took her shoulder. "We've got to run." He said raggedly. _

"_How'd you find me?" She demanded, later realizing how stupid she was._

_Meliorn merely pulled her behind him, and Madi realized he never answered her question._

_**.M.I.W.**_

I continued to stare into the dimly lit cell with hard, concrete walls. The door was made of rusty metal, and I wondered how long tetanus shots usually kept you from dying of whatever rust gave you. I certainly hoped that I didn't die of _inhaling_ rust. Was that even possible?

Maybe if I got out of this mess I'd look into that.

There was never that much noise to begin with, which made me… feel nothing. Awesome. I was missing my feelings.

I didn't know how long I was sitting in the cell. I'd woken up from being unconscious in here, and I stayed leaning against the wall since then, feeling the back of my head ache. I didn't really care.

I hadn't slept. That was a weird thing that came with this spell. I hadn't slept ever since this whole thing had happened, and the worst part was I didn't recognize that I was tired. I was just… meh.

Yes, 'meh' was the best term to use ever.

Okay… Maybe I was going a little crazy out of boredom.

"Hello?" I finally decided to croak out. "_Hello_?"

I simply stared up as a guard that was actually a demon approached. "What do you want?" He snapped.

I shrugged, not really knowing. "Just to see if I was alone or not."

"Stupid Nephilim." He snarled.

"I'm a Rogue." I stated lamely as he walked away.

_**.M.I.W.**_

I felt horrible.

I thought I felt like crap before?

Oh my god, Earlier Me, you don't even know.

I lay down on the cold, cement floor, staring up at the dark ceiling as I felt pressure building within me, hurting me, constricting me, filling me with feelings I didn't know a person could have.

Yes, I'd had my feelings back, but they were all wrong.

There was no original me, just a dark shell, filling with black sludge that tasted purely bitter to the tongue. It made me want to die some more.

It caused me physical pain. I could barely move.

It was torture.

"Madi Verdantia." A cynical voice leered.

I furrowed my eyebrows, and rolled over on my stomach, trying to choke back a pained cry. It hurt my very _soul_ to move. I huffed, creating a cloud of dust to pick up around my face as I stared ahead.

I met eyes with black ones, like Prophecy Dude, except his skin was fairer, and his hair was almost white. He wore surprisingly casual clothes for a rather interesting environment. Khaki slacks and a Polo. Just like those annoying kids I hated at my school. That's nice…

"Hey, you." I greeted.

He cracked a harsh smile that looked pleased for all of the wrong reasons. "What _have_ you done to yourself?" He asked with a dark chuckle. "You look like you're the portal to Hell itself."

"It's called a curse." I informed him. "Condemned spirits have given me the gift of apathy. You should try it. It's… enlightening."

"Mmhmm…" He noted. "I'm sure it is. You know, I brought you here first to kill you, but I realize you've somehow managed to kill yourself. Not that I'm surprised. You always were a little too hotheaded. Even more than my stupid brother."

"Yup. And, of course, you forgot to mention that I'm not worth it."

"How could I forget?" He smiled darkly.

I managed to smile back just as maliciously. "How's your daddy's death been, Jonathan?"

He shrugged, but I could see the slight emotion playing in his eye. "He was my mentor. It's had its difficulties."

"I'm glad."

His eyes hardened. I knew if I were closer to the bars he would've snapped my neck then and there. I smirked.

"In fact," I went on, "I hope that his death was as crushing to you, as it was a celebration for the rest of us. While you've rotted in some hellish wasteland, trying to get an army to do whatever your father planned, I've been doing some crazy shit. Everyone's happy. So happy. I think it would be safe for me to put that _Valentine Death Day_ celebration extravaganza I've been planning into effect. I'd give you an invitation, but I wasn't exactly sure how you'd react –"

"_Shut up_!" He bellowed.

I laughed quietly, curling into the fetal position as I stared at the opposite wall. "Fuck you, Jonathan Morgenstern. I can't wait until I get to kill you. Again."

_**.M.I.W.**_

There were loud bangs and crashes heard outside, making me lazily open my eyes. The world was bleary, and I could barely focus on anything.

I watched passively as a large roll of blue fire passed the hallway before me outside of my cell. The heat must've been too much for the cell bars, because the door simply gave and fell inward, a large cloud of dust sent in my direction.

I blinked past all of the dust and continued to stare out in surprise at the world ahead of me.

Then, in the middle of my blink, I saw a familiar boy come running towards me. I stared up, feeling a pain hit my chest and spread through my body.

The boy dropped to his knees, jet black skater cut hair fell into his dark, almost black eyes with a pale angular face. The pain made it almost stifling to breathe, but I couldn't help but feel… something in seeing his face.

"Mel… Meliorn?" I gasped against the sharp blow only to add to the pain.

His hands reached for my face, but I could barely feel his hands as he angled my eyes to be equal with his. His eyes were clouded in what looked like pain, staring into me like he could find all of the answers with that one look.

"Madi…" He murmured, his voice barely there, but at the same time, I could hear him perfectly. "What… What'd they do to you?" His words came out strangled as he pulled me closer to him.

I frowned, trying to understand. "Meliorn…"

There was a loud screech from a demon not too far off, but I couldn't stop staring up at him. I couldn't say anything, really. Nothing would come out. I just continued to stare, and found all of my energy begin to seep out of me once again. Black lined my vision, and all of my balanced weight shifted.

Meliorn's fingers dug into my sides, dragging me into his arms. I felt his warmth against my cold skin, his hold tightening as he held me. I blinked, trying to fight against the urge to fall back into unconsciousness again. Any other time, yes, but not now. Especially since Meliorn was here.

"Madi," He said vehemently as the world blackened. "Don't leave. Just hold on. Please."

The pull felt so much stronger than before, it was almost insane. My gaze was back on the open cell, seeing another familiar face walk in. This friend was tall, of the warlock variety, and had a relaxed gate as he walked in.

"I told you this was a bad idea." Magnus sighed as he kneeled beside Meliorn. "Set her down, Fae."

Meliorn looked at Magnus for a short while, but set me back down on the cold ground. I stared up into green, catlike eyes. "Mag…"

"Yes, yes." Magnus rolled his eyes, shoving Meliorn out of the way. The Fae knight fell on his backside from his kneeled position, glaring up at the warlock. "Move aside!" Magnus snapped at Meliorn, who managed to scramble back.

Magnus waved a hand over me like a scanner, and his eyes widened in surprise. "This is not good." He muttered.

"What's wrong with her?" Meliorn demanded as he stood on his knees and looked over Magnus' shoulder. "Can you fix it?"

Magnus snorted. "Of course I can. I'm the one who did it."

I could've started in surprise at what Magnus had said, but I didn't have the strength to even do so. I watched him, black still lining my vision even as I tried to fight it. I stared up at him.

"Magnus…" I breathed in slight annoyance.

"There's a block." Magnus stated, and I sucked in a sharp breath. "It's difficult to explain, but…"

"What?" Meliorn snapped. "But what?"

"It's been killing her. It's just been a downhill battle." Magnus replied without any emotion whatsoever, but I could see in his eyes he was worried. He sighed in annoyance. "I knew this was a bad idea. I shouldn't have gone through with it…"

"What's going on?" Meliorn demanded. "What's wrong with her?"

"Will you please shut up?" Magnus craned his neck over his shoulder which made him nose-to-nose with the Fae. "You're little Romeo harlequin romance is giving me a migraine."

Meliorn narrowed his eyes, but scooted backwards.

Magnus rolled his eyes and his shoulders back, his hands glowing a faint green.

I could feel some of the heaviness of my body lift, driven away, but it still wasn't all the way gone.

"All of it, Magnus." I hissed.

His eyes widened slightly, raising his eyebrows as he looked down at me. I nodded his consent, and waited. His hands grew to a brighter green –

_Snap!_

I screamed.

What I'd seen from… from _that_ night flashed before my closed eyes, making my heart nearly stop. I screamed as loud as I possibly could, hoping that maybe someone would make it stop. Anything to make it stop. It was all too real, all too fresh and as fear-wracking as before.

I gave another short cry as the final image left. My body shook as I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling of the cell, breathing heavily. I took in the air that seemed so stale and weak in my lungs before.

Every single emotion washed over me, killing me, saving me, making me happy, making me sad, making me want to die, making me feel… love.

I was… happy.

"Madi?" Magnus asked.

I slowly pulled myself up, Magnus' large hand supporting me between my shoulders. I looked over at Meliorn, whose gaze was large and in fear as he watched me. I smiled slightly, against everything coursing through me. Against my shortness of breath, against the cold sweat breaking across my face and neck and shoulders, and against my pain both emotional and physical.

I stood up and walked towards him. He stood up from his crouching position immediately, staring down at me with eyes filled with so much emotion, I couldn't read it. I grabbed the top of his breast plate on either sides, realizing there was one thing I'd wanted to do since the first time that I'd seen him.

I jerked him down to me, and crushed my lips against his. A lump formed in my throat at my excitement, and I felt the back of my eyes prickle and I squeezed them shut tighter. My heart raced, the butterflies attacking my stomach.

His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me even closer to him. His armor was hard against me, somewhat uncomfortable, but I couldn't bring myself to care at that moment. I tangled my fingers in his ink black hair, kissing him with every thing I had. His lips moved confidently against mine, hungrily and filled with a deep need that I felt all the way down to my toes. I felt tears form in the corners of my eyes and finally fall. I pulled myself even closer, if it were possible.

I pulled back and grinned at him, laughing slightly when he smiled softly back. I wiped at my eyes, feeling his fingers brush mine aside and brush away my tears and then kissed my nose. I couldn't keep that ridiculous smile off of my face.

"I think I'm ready to go kill some demons now." I informed them, and frowned when I realized my jacket and swords weren't on me. "But first –"

A throat cleared loudly and obnoxiously, and I turned in Meliorn's arms to see Magnus bring forth my swords, and my jacket folded over his arm. I felt the loss of Meliorn's heat from his arms instantly as I pulled on my jacket, then strapped on my swords. I straightened up and smirked.

"Now that's," I said as I straightened my jacket and swords and snapped my jacket's collar to attention, "more like it. Thanks, Maggs."

The sound of a loud cry of anger and a thump made all of us flinch at the same time. "We'll talk later." Magnus replied hurriedly, already leaping out of the cell.

Meliorn and I ran after him, Magnus confidently leading the way.

In a large foyer-type-place, a battle raged.

Demons were everywhere, Shadowhunters and Fae and vampires and werewolves taking them all on. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "How did –"

But a large blue inferno raged before us, barreling straight into a group of demons. I blinked in surprise at the full extent of Magnus' power.

"Now, Madi –" Meliorn started.

But I was already running forward into the fray, yanking out my swords and couldn't help but laugh kind of crazily (hey, I just got my feelings back, don't judge) when the blades didn't cut at my wrists and upper arms. "_Metatron_! _Sandalphon_!"

My heart shot up to cloud nine when I saw Jace Lightwood, the golden angel boy I never thought I'd really see again, almost being taken by a demon from behind. I pushed myself to go faster, feeling the adrenaline coursing through my veins. I smiled as I reached back, and jumped forward to cut the demon my lit swords made contact with. The demon cried out in surprise, and whipped around to face me.

"Madi?" I heard Jace cry in surprise.

I didn't have time to respond as the demon lurched forward. I pulled back followed by one swipe. It snarled and swung its head in my direction, and I clipped its snout with Metatron.

It snarled and reared back, then charged.

I made my whole upper body swing to the opposite side as it came closer, doing almost a pirouette on my right foot as I swung my swords into stabbing the neck of the demon. At the same time, the adrenaline kicked into its familiar action.

"Oh _hell yeah_!" I yelled at the top of my lungs as I jerked the swords out, and watched the demon fold in on itself.

I spun around and grinned at Jace. "After the battle?" I called.

Jace had just taken down another demon, and smiled back. "Got it!"

I was about to run after the next demon in my sights, but a long sword swiped in front of my vision, and collided with my double swords to force them down. I started in surprise and looked to my left to see Meliorn with a less than amused expression on his face. "Madi." He sighed.

Another demon came at us. Meliorn grappled my shoulder with his free hand and steered me behind him. He then took a massive swing, making his large silvery blade sing with the breeze in its wake, and chopped the mouth off of the demon. My eyes widened in surprise.

He turned around again and looked at me with a serious look in his eye. "I know that you want to get out here in the fight, but you've just broken –"

What he was going to say was cut off when I yelled 'behind you!' and he cried 'duck!' at the same time. We immediately did as the other said. I ducked, reaching around and underneath Meliorn's arms as I stabbed the demon behind him. I turned around just as my demon as falling into itself to see another demon die by his hands.

"Yeah…" I noted as Meliorn turned around to look at me. I merely kept my gaze on where his demon disintegrated. "That's hot."

Meliorn chuckled and slung one of his arm over my shoulders with his free hand. He flipped his long sword skillfully in his other hand like it wasn't any trouble at all. And that's saying a lot because long swords are heavy mother fuckers (stoner side laughs like a stoner). My double swords dropped to my sides, and I smiled dumbly. "You haven't seen anything yet." He murmured in my ear, making me shiver (and I didn't even try to hide it).

When we saw another demon leap ahead of us, snarling and salivating, Meliorn and I shared a long look. I sighed in boredom as he dropped his arm from my shoulders. "You've already made me sick of killing demons." I stated blandly.

He laughed at that one, holding out his free hand. "After you?" He inquired.

As I looked at him, midnight black hair ruffled, dark eyes glinting in amusement, wearing silver armor glinting in the skylight-lit room, I smiled. Because I realized this was it. He was the one for me. I think there was a strong possibility that after three weeks of knowing this guy, I might be in love with him.

I quickly gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and ran ahead.

_**.M.I.W.**_

**I think this is one of my favorite chapters to write in all of my FanFiction-ing time.**

**So… couple names for Madi and Meliorn? Personally, I'm torn between Madiorn and Maliordi xP**

**My computer's firewall is down for now, and since I haven't updated it, I probably can't for a while. D:**


	20. An Aftermath of Sorts

**Mwahahaha! I HAVE INTERNET!**

**And my laptop's returning to me tomorrow! Ugh, I'm so happeh!**

**And I had COFFEE! **

**I've been writing, duh, but not on this so that's why this puppy is a tad late. I've actually been working on another novel project that I'll be publishing too. Maybe I'll tell you guys my identity when my book gets published…?**

**I'm so hyper… This will make me type some awesome, Madi-tastic stuff. Oh yeah, I love 'Madi-tastic'.**

**TOPS TO MALIORDI! xD**

**So, **_**no one**_** tell me about **_**City of Fallen Angels**_**, or I will turn Madi into an assassin and kill you… And that's not a threat, my darlings, but a promise! :D Also, I love you guys. Thank you for your comments, and you're all amazing. **

_**Tra-la-la!**_

**ShoutOuts ~**

**Klaus-is-Epic:**** I feel you about the Mom-Patrol. Just keep tellin' me who you are haha. Thanks for your comment. My dad **_**has**_** said hey back to you lol, in case I didn't tell you. Er… I guess I would date you too if I was homosexual…? But thanks, you're amazing.**

**BookNinja15:**** Love you, Fluffy. You know this. You were my first commentor, and for that I say thanks. :)**

**Srynotloggedin:**** OH! I GET YOUR NAME! Barely got the 'update' joke, but still, it was funny. :D**

**~ THEMESONGS ~**

_**Just Lose It **_**~ Eminem**

_**Don't You Know Who I Think I Am**_** ~ Fall Out Boy (very Madi-esque, yeah?)**

_**Do You Know What I See**_** ~ Panic! At the Disco**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**20. An Aftermath… of Sorts**

Jace was fighting a rather large demon, pulling his seraph blades over his head and making the final blow. He moved with ease, gracefully (but I, the amazing Madi, was never going to tell him this).

I paused slightly and smiled at him, but it was short-lived when I saw a familiar pale blonde streak towards him.

"Jace!" I cried out, pushing past Meliorn and running full-force to him. It didn't take that long because of the good stuff roaring in my veins. Okay, I loved this adrenaline, forever, even if it made me feel like total death afterwards. It was worth it.

So… Thanks Creepy Doc from _Maximum Ride_. I applaud you and your psychoticalness.

And, oh yes, that's a new word to add to the Dictionary of Madi, otherwise in Latin known as…

Never mind.

_Swip!_

I grinned as Jonathan stumbled back, Jace spinning around and immediately meeting Jonathan's sword. Jonathan glared at me with so much hatred, I could almost feel giddy, blood running down the corner of his eyebrow.

"Markus!" He bellowed.

A whip immediately cracked in front of me, and I leapt back, spinning to my side to see a very familiar face with tanned skin and pale brown hair, eyes that strange black like Jonathan's.

"Prophecy Dude!" I cried, smiling. "When the hell did you get here? You should've come to my cell! We could've had a tea party –"

The whip, black as night and tinged with purple as it moved, struck out and wrapped around Sandalphon. It jerked out of my hand, and flew across the room.

Ready?

Ready?

It's time for another OSM!

"Stupid, cocky bitch!" Prophecy Dude leered.

Okay, so maybe it wasn't the time to crack jokes. Prophecy Dude wasn't in the mood for games. So much for our bantering about how he came back to this dimension, survived my probably 'weak' attempt to kill him, blah, blah, blah, et cetera, and then I would kill him.

Again, not today.

"Whoa, good one!" I snarled back.

_Swack! Cling!_

Metatron was snatched out of my hands by the midnight coils of the whip, and flew across the room.

Okay, let's reiterate our first view of this situation.

"_Aw_…" I breathed as I looked at my empty hands. "Shit."

I was now a current sitting duck.

Let's say it like Roscoe Dash or Chris Brown.

Ready?

Let's go!

All raight… Lay-git.

Now let's do a killer beat from _Look at Me Now_ by Chris Brown, featuring Lil' Wayne and Busta Rhymes (OMG, that dude is so sick!).

I leaned to the right in surprise as the whip struck forward, then lurched to turn on my side as it came at me again.

I moved into a quick Indian top-rock when the whip struck my left side, and made a quick side-slide, lifting my hands to the back of my hand when the whip was about to strike my left arm again.

I nodded and looked up at Prophecy Dude. "Nice." I grinned.

He let out a cry of disdain, and the tip of his whip (no intentional rhyme), make its way to my face.

"Mock fall!" I cried, and fell backwards, quickly catching myself on my hands and feet. The whip came for my face again. I quickly rocked forward on my feet and turned like I was dropping in a jerk, and stood up and jerked back.

I smirked up at Prophecy Dude. "Look at me now!" I battle rocked forward and smirked at him. "_Uh_! Look at me now!"

The whip came forward again. I spun in a tiny pirouette to the left side, and stumbled slightly but smiled at Prophecy Dude. "Fresha' than a mo'fucka'!"

As the whip came at me again, I attempted a collapse, and held out my right arm for support, but the demonic whip snapped on my arm, wrapping around my wrist, and I glared at it as it burnt my skin. "Oh God damn it." I muttered.

I flew forward with the demonic strength Prophecy Dude had, and smiled darkly as I came rolling at him. He held a malicious grin of his own, but it quickly fell as I whipped my lower body in front of me at the last possibly second, and clipped him in a total roundhouse on his side.

He fell with me straddling his chest, and I punched down, cracking his nose sickeningly.

"Oh yes!" I yelled as I brushed the whip from my arm. I nodded at him as I ran to grab my sword. "Oh yes!"

"_Metatron_!" I cried, about to plunge the blade into Prophecy Dude's chest.

Except it didn't light up.

He cracked a dark smile.

I rolled my eyes.

"Gay," I breathed in annoyance. "_Sandalphon_!" I cried out in slight exasperation.

It lit up, and Prophecy Dude fizzled out from this dimension once again when I stabbed him in the heart.

I spun around when I heard a loud, anguished cry, to see Jonathan falling to his knees with Jace's dagger in his heart. He muttered something in Jonathan's ear, and he fell, fizzling out into another dimension.

_**.M.I.W.**_

It was the final night of my patrol, though it was quite useless. The battle was over, the culprit dead (for now?) and almost all of the rogue demons were captured and killed. It was three o'clock in the morning, and the snow was only falling lightly, compared to the huge flakes I'd been seeing in my first weeks here.

I smiled slightly as I crunched through the snow of the park, but it turned into a grin when I saw Meliorn. I ran up to him, wrapping my arms around his neck, feeling his warmth. I buried my face into his neck, sighing in contentment when his arms wrapped around my waist to pull me closer.

"Your nose is cold." He murmured, warm breath tickling my bare neck since I put my hair in a ponytail because it felt _too_ unruly to deal with. I decided to straighten it tomorrow. He pressed his lips to my neck. "And your neck. Are you trying to catch a cold?"

I smiled, pulling back to kiss him. His lips were warm and inviting to a freezing night, filling me with the warmth and feeling I'd missed. His mouth was calm, unhurried against mine, filled with promises if we continued, making my whole body tingle in excitement.

He pulled back, leaning his forehead against mine. "Ready?" He murmured.

"For some sleep, yeah." I agreed.

"I meant the Seelie Queen." He smirked.

"Oh," I shrugged. "No big deal."

He hummed in amusement, kissing me once on the nose, and tucking my forearm in the crook of his. "All right, come along then."

I rolled my eyes, but let him lead me as we walked onto the ice pond. My heart thudded in my chest as we reached the very center, and I dug my fingers into Meliorn's arm.

"Problem, Ms. No Big Deal?"

My eyes narrowed as a large gash cut through the ice under our weight. "I hate this thing." I muttered darkly, and we plunged into the freezing water. I held my breath, and my feet jarred on the impact of the ground hitting me seconds later. I let out a short breath in surprise, almost falling forward, but Meliorn had held my arm tightly, and I smiled up at him.

"Why are you not wet?" I demanded as we walked down the trail in the dimmed light.

He shrugged. "I'm Fae."

"Yes, and that explains it all." I snorted sarcastically.

"I can't enjoy mystique?" He asked, sounding generally and amusingly curious.

I nudged him in the ribs with my elbow. "That's my job, darling."

"Darling?" He asked curiously. I looked up at him as he shrugged. "I could get used to that."

He paused at the entrance to the court, and told me to wait. I leaned against the wall awkwardly, shivering at the cold from outside, and then the water. I jumped at the sight of a little boy scurrying out from one of the hallways, his hair a familiar black and eyes dark with an angular face. He paused and looked up at me.

"Hello." I smiled.

His eyes widened in surprise. "You're _Madi_!" He gasped.

Now it was my turn to be surprised. "Um… yeah."

He grinned widely seeming to light up the entire cavern. "You're Meliorn's _girlfriend_!"

Girlfriend? My heart skipped a beat, and I felt adrenaline course through me in total fear. My smile faltered. _Ugh, chill out, Madi!_ I ordered myself, but my hands continued to shake slightly. I clenched them into fists and groaned inwardly. Commitment was not my strong point, because there were worries. With commitment, there were standards. And when there are standards… let's just say I'm not all that stellar.

I laughed nervously and shrugged. "I guess. What's your name?"

"Calice!" He smiled brilliantly. "Meliorn's my older brother!"

"Really?" I smiled. That explained the similarities.

"Yup! I'm nine!"

"Calice." I looked to my right to see Meliorn walking out of the Queen's entrance to her court. "It's a little late, don't you think?"

Calice glared indignantly up at him. "But I wanted to see Madi!"

"Yes, and you have." Meliorn sighed, but smiled a little. He pushed his little brother's shoulder and steered him back in the hallway's direction. "We've got grown up stuff to do. And you need to sleep."

"But she just got _here_!" Calice whined.

"I'll teach you how to throw daggers tomorrow?" Meliorn suggested as a bargaining chip.

Calice's eyes gleamed, and he took the bait immediately. "Hell yes – _OW_!" He yelled indignantly after Meliorn hit him upside the head.

"What did we talk about?" Meliorn demanded. "No cussing."

Calice glared at him for a long time, trying his best to look intimidating. No dice as Meliorn continued to glower back. Calice rolled his eyes and huffed. "Bye Madi." He grumbled, and ran off down the hallway he came from.

I looked up at a suddenly tired Meliorn. "How old is he?" I asked.

"Eleven." He sighed. "But he acts like he's twenty."

"He's adorable." I smiled.

"You mean, _deplorable_, don't you?" He asked, looking faux curiosity.

I laughed and stood up from my slouched position on the wall. "The Queen's ready for me?"

He nodded, holding out his arm like he'd done when we were fighting. "After you."

I walked into the Court, seeing the Queen with many of her knights standing around the parameter of the large, circular room. I didn't feel as much nervousness as I had the first day I'd come down here, which meant I was more at ease. Which means a more classic, delightful Madi shines through every time.

"My, my," The Queen murmured in a breathy voice, "You seemed to have changed quite a bit, Miss Verdantia."

"I know," I agreed, looking myself over, "I _have_ gotten more gorgeous haven't I?"

"But your personality will never." She smiled approvingly. "I do quite enjoy that. You make quite the interesting character."

I nodded respectfully. She had no idea. "As much fun as our bantering is, You're Majesty, I'm in a bit of a rush…"

"And we have a contract that needs terminating." She agreed. She snapped her fingers, and I watched as one of the young Fae knights stepped out from the circle with something in his hand. "Not only have you patrolled our borders without fail, but you've also ended the fear we've held in our hearts in one fell swoop. For this, we thank you."

I stared at the crystalline bottle in the knight's hands, presented to me. "With this potion, you will be able to break the curse of the Angel girl, Clary."

I took it in my hands, realizing it was cold. I looked up at the Queen, and nodded. "Thank you, Majesty –"

"I'm not done, Rogue." The Queen waved her hand. I snorted slightly and took a small step back. She smiled at my probably annoyed and surprised expression, and snapped her fingers again. The Fae knight who had presented the bottle to me quickly bowed at the waist, and backed into the row of knights. As soon as he'd done so, another knight stepped towards me.

"This is for you." A silken green bag laced with golden beads was dropped in my hand. It was as big as my hands cupping it. It was warm – pulsating almost – seemingly filled with life. "Consider it a bonus."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What is it, though?" I asked as I looked up at her, handling the bag in my hands as well as the bottle. "What does it do?"

The Queen shrugged innocently. "Open it only when you face the darkest of times."

And that's all she wrote.

_**.M.I.W.**_

My whole body shook with anticipation as I stood in front of Clary's door, potion in hand. I pretty much ran all the way back to the Institute, the weird Fae-Bag (as it was now so dubbed) shoved in my backpack out of sight, and out of mind.

There were more important things to deal with.

I could hear the dull lullaby of The Spill Canvas seeping through her door. I gently wrapped my free hand around the door handle and gently twisted. It was locked. "Damnation." I muttered darkly, and rapped three times on the door.

Nothing.

I knocked harder.

Zilch.

"Clary?" I called.

Goose eggs are in order here.

I rolled my eyes. "By the Angel." I sighed in boredom, before hiking a foot back and striking the door.

It burst open, and I rolled my eyes a petrified Clary. "Madi!" She cried out in surprise. Apparently she'd been asleep. "What the hell are you doing?"

I checked the time on my phone, and found myself rolling my eyes at myself. Four o'clock in the morning. Obviously, someone was a little brash here. And her name started with 'M'.

No! God dammit, it's not Lady Gaga!

"Uh…" I said as I flipped on the lamp at her bedside table. Light took over the shadow, and Clary flinched in even more surprise.

Okay, how was I supposed to do this?

"I need you to… er… drink this." I thrust the bottle in front of Clary's face.

She stared up at me incredulously. I raised my eyebrows when she didn't take it, and shook the bottle a little to try and prompt her.

No dice.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked again, looking more scared as she looked at the bottle.

"Asking you to drink this." I said again, bringing it closer to her.

She scooted to the headboard of her bed, her eyes wide and frightful.

"Clary," I said, uncapping the bottle. "It'll help you –"

"_Jace_!" She suddenly shrieked. "_Jace_ – _!_"

I clapped my hand over her mouth, and groaned when I heard a door slam not even two seconds later. "Jesus Christ!" I hissed. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Get away from me!" She cried.

I narrowed my eyes at her. I then slowly coiled my free hand into a fist, and launched it forward without a second thought. It hit Clary in the face, her head snapping back and knocking hard into the wall, which helped in knocking her out.

I quickly pried open her mouth and poured the potion into her mouth, realizing how bad this was as I heard the footsteps thundering down the hallway. _Stupid, stupid, stupid! Moron strikes again!_

"What the hell?" Jace roared as the last of the liquid dropped into her mouth.

I smirked and flung myself backward as Jace quickly took my place. He glared up at me as he shook her, seeing a streak of blood run down her nose. "What the hell is going on? What did you do?"

His attention was completely on Clary when she started to cough, and come to though.

I shrugged idly as Isabelle and Alec ran to the door frame. "Fixing the problem." I informed him as I leaned against the wall, and watched the next scene unfold with total bliss, relief, and the upmost 'smuggary'.

Smuggary. The act of being smug. A new word to add to the Epical Dictionary of Madi.

Clary's eyes fluttered open, and she looked deeply into Jace's concerned eyes.

"Clary?" Jace managed to choke out. When he realized their rather awkward position (her sitting/laying on his lap on her bed), he started to move back. "Clary, I –"

"Jace…?" She whispered, her hand reaching for the side of his face. Collective 'aww'! Let's do it right now!

He pulled back even more. "I'm sorry, you just –"

Her eyes widened in shock. "What are you doing?" She demanded. He still pulled back. She grabbed his shirt to pull him back to her. "Stop, wait! What's going on?"

She looked around his shoulder to see Alec and Isabelle. "How'd I get here?" Her head whipped around in front of her to see me in her line of vision. "Madi! When did you –"

I smiled and waved slightly. "Good to have you back."

"Back?" She asked, looking at a more than shocked Jace. I was kind of beginning to worry if his expression was going to stay like that. His eyebrows just about seemed to touch the top of his head. "Jace, come on, what's going on?"

"What do you remember?" He demanded. She opened her mouth and closed in slight surprise at his sharp instructions. "Come on, Clary!"

"I – I –" She stuttered. "I asked you to get Madi. You called me to tell me that you were bringing her to the Institute and I was just leaving my mom's house. And then… Jace, what…?"

"Oh my God," He barely breathed, and instantly kissed her.

It was one of those intense kisses. Like, the kind you only see in movies. The tension in his muscles relaxed, and Clary clutched to him for dear life. I raised an eyebrow slowly, and they didn't seem to exactly stop. I tore my eyes off of the sight, and looked at Isabelle. "I, uh…" I coughed. They didn't stop. "I think I should, er…"

"Let's watch a movie!" Isabelle decided, grabbing Alec's arm and tugging him down the hallway. "Madi, go change into your pajamas!"

"Uh… yeah…" I said slowly, walking out of the suddenly very awkward room.

I just shut the door behind me, like any self-respecting tool would.

_**.M.I.W.**_

I pulled on my green, black, and white dress. I brushed the fabric down my sides, and sighed in slightly relief when it clung in all the right places. Its end came just at my lower thigh, a palm's length above the knees with thick black straps. I pulled on my black sandal-heels, and made my way out of the Institute.

Another week had passed since the battle, and the Shadowhunters barely had any cuts on them. Apparently they could heal super-fast, or something to that effect. I had as well, with the help of a _lot_ of Runes applied by Jace and I.

"You look fantastic!" A familiar voice crowed. I turned and smiled at Isabelle.

She was wearing another classic Isabelle look. A silver dress that went just above her knees, matching high heels and a couple of large silver sparkly bracelets. Her hair was down, long and straight, not a strand out of place.

I smiled slightly at her. "You look amazing too, Isabelle."

"Psh!" She waved a hand. "I already know that."

As we walked out of the Institute, Isabelle ran straight for Simon, who was smiling widely in a black tux since he was the best man. She barreled into him, kissing him full on the mouth.

I rolled my eyes and left them to keep up as I walked down the street. I realized this was one of the few times I actually could walk somewhere. Usually I was running and brandishing swords. I had to say it was a tiny bit of a step back from this world's 'norm'.

In a small cemetery, I smiled at the sight of Jace and Clary waiting near a blank brick wall, hand in hand, smiling at something as they talked. Magnus was leaned against the brick wall, smirking a savvy smirk at Alec who simply smiled back at him a few inches away with his hands in his pockets. My eyebrows furrowed when I realized there was something missing.

Like… a certain Fae knight who'd _promised_ to be my date.

"Hey guys." I greeted happily as I stood in the shade of the building with them. The cold wind bit at my bare legs, snow seeping into my heels and snapping at my feet.

Yes, it was winter and we were all wearing 'summer clothes'. Doesn't sound all too practical, does it?

I know you'd be right.

"Madi?" Jace suddenly asked incredulously. I turned around to see his gaze in complete fake shock. "Is that you?"

I reached over and smacked his arm. "Jackass." I retorted. "I've been known to clean up every once in a while, as comparison to _you_." I gestured to his black pants and white dress shirt.

He smirked. "I don't know what you're talking about. I look incredibly sexy in this. Clary. You'd back me up, won't you?"

I snorted. "Oh yeah, bring your girlfriend into this. She _has_ to think you're sexy."

He gasped. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Magnus drawled, "That she's not with you because of your sparkling personality."

I nodded to Magnus, and we bumped fists with the explosion finger-wiggling. Yes, we're the most intense friends ever.

Isabelle and Simon came into the small cemetery next, stepping into our group hand in hand. "Ready?" Isabelle asked shortly.

Then, as if it were the cue I'd been waiting for, I heard the deep thrum of a motorcycle approach. A smile forced its way to my face when I saw a black so black that in the overcast light, it glinted a purplish blue. The bike stopped in front of the gates of the cemetery, and the guy riding it got off smoothly, wearing black dress pants, a dark blue dress shirt, and a black blazer. He took off his helmet smoothly, and I beamed at the skater-cut mop of black hair that spilled out.

"I know I am." I said just before walking towards him.

He walked across the cemetery quickly after turning off the bike (by the way, can he be any hotter?) and smirked at me. When the space between us closed, I held the side of his face, and stood on the tips of my toes to bring my lips to his. My body zinged with electricity when his hands cupped my face, holding me closer. He pulled back slowly, leaving a gentle kiss on my lips, before taking my hand in his.

"Me – Meliorn?" Isabelle furrowed her brows as Meliorn and I stepped towards the group. She looked at him, our clasped hands, and then me, reminding me of one of those cartoon characters. "What –"

"Isabelle." Meliorn nodded.

I wanted to punch myself in the face. I completely (and I mean completely) forgot that in the second book, Isabelle had probably very… intimate with Meliorn. Ugh. Awesome. This was going to be fun.

"How did you two meet?" She asked.

"Uh…" Meliorn squeezed my hand in reassurance, pulling my back to his chest and giving a gentle kiss to the top of my head. "At the battle…?" I suggested.

Isabelle nodded shortly, and turned to walk towards the portal Magnus was creating.

_**.M.I.W.**_

The wedding was beautiful, and held in Alincante… where it was summer.

I don't care what people say, alternate universes will always be weird to me.

Jocelyn and Luke shared their 'I do's with only a few close friends and family, including the pack. The whole wedding was simple yet elegant. Everyone had fun (Jace and I were caught by Clary in our feeble attempt to start a teen drinking game – which we were doing just for grins, geez!), the music was great as well as the food. There was plenty of dancing involved, and… yeah.

Meliorn and I walked along the bank of a rolling stream, the stars shining brightly in the sky above us. The reception was only a little ways away, we could still hear the music from where we were. His arm was slung over my shoulder, holding me closer to his side while my arm wrapped around his waist.

"Thanks for coming." I said quietly. "It was fun, wasn't it?"

"Oh yeah," he agreed, "One of our more tame adventures, I would believe."

I giggled (because I'm a girl, and that's what we girls do). "That is true. I don't think we've ever really been on a date yet."

"Why don't we change that when we get back?" He suggested.

_When we get back…_ My heart clenched slightly at the thought.

I'd done what I needed to do in this world. I helped Jace and Clary, the Queen, and helped in the killing of another bad guy. Now was usually the time that I had to be getting back home.

But there was Meliorn… and Meliorn was… amazing.

I looked up at him, seeing his angular face, dark eyes never missing a thing, the layers in his dark hair brushing his face in the breeze. He had a quietly confident look about him, like he knew what he could do, and he was content with knowing that himself. It was amazing to see that quiet pride, knowing I could never do something like that myself.

"What?" He chuckled, making me start.

I shrugged and looked ahead of me. "Nothing."

"You were kind of looking at me rather intensely." He noted. "I wouldn't call that 'nothing'."

I sighed and shook my head. "You're just… interesting to me, you know."

"Interesting?" He mused.

"Mmhmm…" I replied, feeling my stomach churn at the thought that I was going to have to leave. I stopped and stood in front of him. "Come here." I murmured, grabbing the collar of his blazer and bringing his face down to mine.

I pressed my lips against his, opening to him. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me flush against him as he kissed me back, his tongue gently drawing across my lower lip. My heart kicked a beat faster in surprise and delight, happy to have him in my arms. I pushed myself against him, tangling my fingers in his hair. It just felt so right, so good to have his arms around me. He felt perfect. His grip tightened on my waist, fingers digging into my dress and skin, his mouth strong against mine and kissing me like he didn't care who was watching.

_**.M.I.W.**_

I rubbed my eyes, feeling my whole body clench and unclench in adrenaline, sadness. I continued to write the ending of the letter, feeling like I was one of the most unlucky people in the world. Why did everything immediately crappy always have to happen to me?

I folded the two page letter (front and back), and stuck it in the envelope. I quickly scribbled the single name on the envelope, and ran out of the room as I slung my backpack on my shoulders.

I quickly stopped at Jace's room, and knocked on the door. He opened it immediately, but only by a little, hiding his lower part of his body, and his chest was bare. "Madi?"

"Hi." I croaked, "Is Clary in there?"

He nodded. "She's asleep."

I took out the envelope. "S – sorry to wake you up, but I'm leaving. I… here…"

He took it in his hand and read over the single name as the title. His eyebrows raised in surprise. "Please give it to him." I murmured.

He nodded slowly. "You're leaving tonight?"

"Yes." I nodded, rubbing my watery eyes.

He walked out of his room, wearing a pair of pajama bottoms, and wrapped his arms around me. I sniffed, and hugged him back.

"Until next time, cousin?" I laughed slightly.

He smiled as he pulled back. "Definitely. Oh! Wait a sec."

I waited as he darted back into his room quietly, and came out with _Clockwork Angel_. He handed it to me. "You'll tell me when the next book comes out, right?"

I smiled. "Knew I could turn you into a junkie. Yeah, no problem. I'll call you as soon as I'm done reading it and send it through a portal or a something."

"You better." He said with a smile, but his eyes seemed to hold back.

I shrugged and stood on the tips of my toes, wasn't tall enough, and grabbed his shoulders to bring him down. When he was stooped to my level, I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye Jace."

"Bye Madi."

_**.M.I.W.**_

**And the rest is history. We know how Madi gets back. *cough* Magnus *cough***

**Longest chapter evah!**

**Lol, I gave Meliorn a little brother… ):-)**

**Clare can kill me now if she wants.**

**And Ben Barnes as Meliorn in the **_**City of Bones**_** movie? Who believes this to be a good idea? I think Madi and I would fight over who got to tap that. ;)**


	21. The Letter

**GUYS! CHECK OUT MY BLOG! IT'S AMAZING AND THE PLAYLIST RULES!**

**I need a Beta. How do I get one?**

**Okay, I've started **_**City of Fallen Angels**_**. I'm just going to say (because I'm a pessimistic jerk like this, as we all know) I'm disappointed. I want to punch Jace in the face.**

**Jace:**** Er… Madi…**

**Madi:**** What? You're pansy-assed douche bag! Someone has to tell it to you straight. What the fuck is wrong with you?**

**Jace:**** I've just got a lot of stuff – **

**Madi:**** *does roundhouse kick on Jace's face* Pansy-ass white boy! I'm taking you to the nearest bar to help you get some of your dignity and-slash-or manhood back. God! What the fuck? I can't even look at you!**

**As you can see, Madi has also found this… troubling.**

**ShoutOuts ~**

**Bookninja15:**** Frexing… Sounds similar to 'canoodling' if you ask me. Yay for laughter! It's 'exquisite', if you must know. I was a horrible speller before I was introduced to the awesomeness of spell check. I can now say writing has helped me become a better person. xD**

**klaus-is-eipic:**** I know you're not homosexual lol. Haha, 'special ed'. Love it. Calice is eleven. It talks about that on the blog. And no, Ben Barnes is mine, regardless of what you or Madi say. Somehow, I believe this is going to end up like **_**Pirates of the Caribbean**_** where we do a sword fight between the three of us. Can you imagine us slinging a tall, hot guy around while we clash swords? Oh my God, I'm in love with this mental image. Thanks! I needed that.**

**~ THEMESONGS ~**

_**You Just Can't Win**_** ~ The Dead Weather**

_**I'm Not Okay (I Promise)**_** ~ My Chemical Romance**

_**.M.I.W.**_

**The Letter**

_Meliorn,_

_Yes, in case you were wondering, it IS like… 4:30 in the morning. I can't really seem to get used to my old sleeping schedule. But, I guess I'd be going to bed around this time during summer vacation anyways._

_Summer vacation. Think about that for a moment, would you? Yeah, only mundane kids go to school. Shadowhunters don't. Well, here's an interesting bit of information you'd probably never guess in a million years. I'm not a Shadowhunter. Not even close. I have NO trace of Nephilim blood in me. At all. In all facts and pretenses, I'm a mundane. I don't have the powers of Shadowhunters or any other of these magical creatures you see running around. In fact, I don't even belong in your world at all._

_You see…this WHOLE experience happened in a matter of fate. Let me elaborate._

_Last year, during my summer vacation, I was in my grandmother's house, in her garage, getting a bottle of water from the fridge. While I was getting this said bottle of water, a demon attacked me. Of course, being the stupid girl I have no idea why you have feelings for, I decided to fight it with a tree limb cutter. It fled through a portal, and as a result, I got sucked in too._

_And that's how I came to your world for the first time._

_The reason why I knew who you were when we first met, though, is an entirely different matter._

_In my world, you're a book character. The whole world you lived in was preordained by the author Cassandra Clare. I know! It sounds insane! But it's true! You can ask Jace if you want proof, he'll tell you the truth._

_Anyway, I came to your world just after you and Isabelle 'dated' or… I just don't even want to know, okay? I fought in the demon attack in Alincante, and went home. _

_After that adventure, I had two others. One was where I ended up in another book, Eclipse (which I realize is a book in your universe too). There I fought vampires and hung out with werewolves. Nothing too exciting there. I hate that book, you know that right?_

_Then, I went into another book called Maximum Ride, which also explains what happened to me in that cell, and why I was all… robotic and emotionless and all that great stuff. An evil doctor (this all sounds so fake, I'm sorry) by the name of Gunther-Hagen, injected some serum in me. It was supposed to make me stronger, faster, do everything better. Like I had adrenaline in my system all the time._

_Except… the serum didn't work the way he'd hoped. Instead, this serum mixes with my natural adrenaline when I get too wound up, and after its amazing super-SUPER effects end, my body tries to purge itself of whatever's inside me. Meaning I throw up blood. Doesn't that sound romantic?_

_When I came back to this world (because Jace brought me here so I could go to Jocelyn and Luke's wedding), things went out of control. All of the fighting was making me sick. I had to find a way to at least cap my emotions so I didn't have to go through all of the pain and lose all of the blood in me. I asked Magnus to put a spell on me. Little did I know the spell worked TOO well, and I became the emotionless rock you saw._

_But one thing you don't know, Meliorn, is that before whatever the hell did happen to me in that fight before I was knocked out (by the way, how did that even happen?), was that you made me come alive. You made me FEEL again. I'll never forget that._

_I'll never forget when you came into my cell when I was dying, when the spell was turning into a curse, and you ran in. I don't… I can't… I can't put into words how that made me feel. When Magnus broke the curse, the only thing I wanted to do was kiss you._

_When I came to your world, I didn't know that I would work for the Seelie Queen, or meet you, much less fall in love with you._

_That's right, I said it. I think I love you. There's nothing much else to say after that._

_I had to go back home. I know that when – or if – I come back, I don't expect you to have been waiting for me. That's stupid. But I didn't want to leave with you not knowing. I want you to know that my feelings for you will probably never change._

_I don't want this. You have no idea how much I don't. The only thing I want is you._

_So… yeah. God, I'm so stupid. You know I've never exactly had a boyfriend that I haven't kept for more than a week, right? It's because I'm always scared of the term 'boyfriend'. I'm not good at things like that. Commitment freaks me out. But with you… with you, Meliorn, it's just different. You don't make me feel like I have to watch my step. You're so proud, a bit of an ass, but also kind, ready to do things. You always kept me grounded and let me fly at the same time. You're everything I've always wanted in a guy… except you're not blonde. :) But I'll let that slide._

_Okay, bad time for jokes._

_I'm so, so sorry. Why is it that every time I find something good, it gets taken away from me? I sometimes think I'm one of the unluckiest people in any universe._

_I wanted to go on a real date with you. Not the ones where we always end up killing stuff. I wonder what we would've done. Something magical and having to do with the people you've known and I'm in association with? Or would we have done it the mundane way? Either would have been perfect, I think._

_I wanted you to know, so if I do come back, you'll know that you weren't just a game, a simple toy. You'll know that I fell in love with you when you were an ass in our first meeting, a guy that knows music, and could've showed me so many more things. We had fun in the meantime, though, didn't we?_

_I guess that's something I'll never know from your side. But you'll know that I did, right?_

_With Love,_

_Madi_


	22. Author's Notes

**WAIT! Again, please wait!**

**This really is just as important as the FanFic itself.**

***phew* Thank you!**

**Now… I realize that a few of you are mad at me – **

***Claire leaps in* KINDA? What's wrong with you?**

… **Yeah.**

**But! I plan to make it up to you!**

**One of my fans sent me a message a long time ago, requesting a work Madi should star in (because you CAN do that, just PM me with your story idea and I'll read the book and do it). She suggested this, and I quote:**

"_**Well, anyway, if you're ever stuck on what book to appear in next, might I suggest the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead? I think your character would get along really well with Rose, and it's just an awesome series…"**_

**Well, Kate'sBrokenHalo, this is for you.**

**The next book that Madi will star in, is going to be *whispers intensely* **_**Shadow**__**Kiss**_** *end whispers intensely* by Richelle Mead! I read the book (because I didn't have the patience to start at the beginning) a couple of months after you suggested the series, and (yeah, sorry) I didn't like it. But! I still think it'll be a fantastic idea for these two characters to get together, and see which one is better.**

**This'll be interesting…**

**And yes, artists, the series ideas will continue as they are AFTER this FanFic.**

**A couple of ShoutOuts are necessary, though, before I do go on.**

**BookNinja15:**** You are a Fluffy Beast! You being the first commentor entitles me to like you the most, and I do in your own special way. I write awesome for you and everyone else.**

**klaus-is-epic:**** Yeah, name changer. xD Still love you though and your bloody fantastic fangirl attitude. You made me feel like a Jonas Brother while writing this.**

**Now, I think that's it. Comment more often if you want me to like you :P.**

**Gotta get back to my novel now. Check out the blog for some fun information, and… yeah.**

**Thanks for the support. **_**City of Bonds**_** was the most reviewed story I have. I only expect these reviews to grow. This should be exciting. :)**


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